Mind Games
by Questfan
Summary: All is not what it seems when Lucas goes missing. An enemy has plans for payback in an unexpected way as Bridger will have to confront old wounds.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again. Long time, no see. Thank you to Susan for writing a seaQuest story that inspired me to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) again. It's been way too long, but I didn't think I had any more seaQuest stories left in me. I hope you enjoy.**

**Mind Games**

The walls of the cell were a drab grey and she knew every square inch of them. In the eleven months, fourteen days and however many hours that she had been incarcerated she had had plenty of time to get to know them. Political prisoners may be held in a separate part of the UEO prison, but they didn't get any other kind of special attention. Her cell was a standard cell and held nothing more than the basic necessities.

As she glanced around the cell she thought about those old movies where prisoners scratched the tally of days onto the walls. Row upon row of crude scratches that did nothing to reflect the slow passing of each day and yet served as a reminder of how many days were behind. She knew that there were still far more days ahead of her than had passed. Judges had never viewed treason with anything other than utter contempt and the one who had handed down her sentence was no different. Her fists clenched together as she thought about the people who had brought her to this point.

In spite of that, a slow smile crept across her face. Even behind bars she still had power and she knew she could still flex that muscle. In a few short days her plan would finally all fall into place. Tonight's communication via the guard confirmed the key pieces were almost set.

The smile grew into a full-blown grin and she only just managed to stop herself from laughing out loud. It wouldn't do to draw too much attention to herself just yet. That part of the plan wasn't needed for a few more days.

She did however, allow herself to rub her hands together. Nathan Bridger would finally pay for getting in her way. She had underestimated him. A stupid piece of chewing gum had led him down a path that had unraveled all her carefully laid plans. Well this time there was no way he would see what was coming.

And that too-smart teenager would be the catalyst for his punishment.

She sat down on her bunk and savoured the plan in her mind. It was quite delicious really. It was a long time overdue, but they had both contributed to her very public downfall and they would both feel the depth of her anger. Revenge really was a dish that tasted best when served cold.

And last but not least, there was Noyce. The simpering peacekeeper who had moved into her place far too quickly and far too easily. He was a man with a conscience which, in her view, made him weak. That weakness was about to become his downfall too.

The former Secretary General looked down at the prison garb she was wearing and smiled. She may be in a physical prison, but very soon each of them would experience a different kind of prison.

"Let the mind games begin," she whispered into the empty room.

* * *

"_Have fun, Kiddo."_

The words ran through his mind again as he stared at the empty Stinger. His hand shook slightly as he ran his fingers gently over the smooth surface of the canopy. A memory rose, unbidden, as he recalled finding Lucas asleep in the newly finished submersible. It had been a hard night's work to get it finished after the prototype was stolen, but his crew had done it. Hitchcock and Ortiz along with half a dozen others had worked alongside Lucas to ensure they would be ready for the UEO trials. Nothing about the process had gone to plan, but he was immensely proud of what they had achieved anyway.

He stepped back and looked over the craft's skin again. It was no longer smooth. It had been the last time he had seen it. The morning he waved Lucas off and told him to have fun.

The last words he spoke to him.

"Where are you?" he whispered into the silent launch bay. The beaten and scratched up hull of the Stinger suggested any number of things could have happened to it. The canopy was no longer watertight, but there was no indication of water damage in the interior. The idea of Lucas being underwater when the seal failed sent his heart pounding again, but before his mind could take him to any more frightening places his PAL beeped in his pocket.

"Bridger, here."

"Captain, we have an incoming call for you. Secretary General Noyce. "

He took one last look at the Stinger before turning on his heel and walking towards the door.

"Put it through to my quarters, Commander."

* * *

**9 Days Earlier**

Lucas stepped away from the Concierge desk and tried to keep a neutral expression on his face. Other hotel guests and delegates milled around him and he didn't want to look childish in front of them. In spite of that, he could feel the prick of tears in his eyes and his hands clenched at his side under the overly long sleeves of his jacket.

"_Have fun, Kiddo."_

The captain's parting comment welled up in his mind and he could feel the bile simultaneously rising up his throat.

"Yeah. Sure," he muttered to himself. His mind was racing as his emotions churned and he stumbled across the foyer towards a lift. Before he reached it, a man approached him. Lucas automatically began to sidestep him, but then realised the man was aiming for him.

"Lucas? Lucas Wolenczak?"

"Who wants to know?" he snarled in response.

The stranger stopped in his tracks before holding out a hand.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm Andrew Ballantyne. I work with your father."

"How nice for you." Lucas stared at the proffered hand and reluctantly reached out to shake it.

"Lucas, your father sent me to meet you. He was held up and …"

"Yeah, I know! He isn't coming!" The tears were threatening again and Lucas managed to suck in a sharp breath to refocus himself. He straightened his shoulders and tried to appear as though he didn't care.

"No, no, no! That's why I am here. Lawrence asked me to come and get you. He can't make it to the convention with you, but he has something he figured you would be interested in."

"He wants _me_ to come to _him_?" Lucas couldn't keep the incredulous tone out of his voice as no such thing had ever happened before. But then again his father had never agreed to go to a convention with him either.

"Sure. He can't leave the project as there has been a new unexpected development, but he didn't want to miss spending the week with you as was arranged. He knows how difficult it is for you to arrange shore leave."

Lucas shifted the bag he had slung across his shoulder and slowly nodded at Andrew. Despite the untruth in that last comment the sour taste of rejection was beginning to evaporate. Maybe if his father was willing to make that much of an effort then the least he could do was go along with the plan.

'What's he got in mind?"

* * *

Bridger hurried into his quarters and didn't bother to close the door before punching up the vidscreen. Bill Noyce was sitting hunched forward at his desk and he pasted on a smile as soon as he realised he was on screen.

"Nathan."

The forced tone in his voice immediately made Bridger suspicious. They had known each other far too long for his friend not to pick up on it.

"Bill. Any news for me?"

The Secretary General tried to hold his facial expression, but quickly realised he was wasting his time and he let it drop. "I'm sorry, Nathan. The boys here haven't turned up anything of any use. It seems the trail has run dry."

The captain dropped into the chair and scrubbed a hand over his face. "People don't just evaporate into thin air! Somebody has to have seen something, Bill!"

Noyce looked across at his friend and could almost feel the anguish in his voice. Bridger had already lost a son and never found out what happened to him. That tragedy had nearly destroyed him and Noyce was determined that history would _not _repeat itself. Not on his watch!

"Nathan, have your people come up with anything on the Stinger? What happened to it? Any idea how it got from Pearl Harbor to New Cape Quest?"

"Not a clue."

Ben hovered outside the door. He didn't want to be eavesdropping, but the captain had left the door open and it wasn't his fault he could hear the conversation. He was stuck in the awkward position of not wanting to leave, but not wanting to make his presence known either. He rammed one fist repeatedly into the palm of his other hand as he contemplated what he would do to whoever had taken Lucas. In his mind there was no other option. If Lucas was able to, he would have contacted the seaQuest by now. Somebody had taken his friend. The question was, had it happened in Pearl Harbor or New Cape Quest? It wasn't the only question, but since it determined their search area, it was a rather important one. He felt sick at the thought they could be wasting valuable time and resources and he felt equally useless at not knowing what to do about it.

"Lieutenant?"

He suddenly realised somebody was speaking to him and he snapped to attention. "Sir! Um, Captain … um … I was just …"

"Worrying about Lucas?"

"Sir?"

"It's all right, Lieutenant." Bridger looked across from the doorway at the man standing in front of him. While he wasn't the conventional picture of a UEO officer, the captain was under no illusions about Ben's feelings and knew that he would die defending Lucas. Exactly the kind of person he wanted on the missing teenager's trail.

"Have you managed to pull any information from your sources?"

Just as Lucas often found things in unauthorised ways, Krieg also had his ways of finding things. Nobody had specifically asked him, but he had called every person he could think of who might have an ear to the ground. He sighed as he shook his head.

"Nothing, Sir. Which is really strange."

"How so?"

"Well, logically, if somebody took Lucas as some kind of leverage they would have tried to use it by now. There has been no kidnap ransom and no kind of threat, either to his family or to the UEO. His skills are legendary so why haven't we seen some evidence of him being put to use somewhere?"

Bridger cringed at the thought of what "being put to use" could entail. Mycroft had tried to co-opt Lucas for his own warped purposes and it had been quite some time before Lucas had confided the whole story to him. The captain figured it had a little to do with Lucas seeing a hero of his, proven to have feet of clay, but it was more than that. The teenager had to reassess his own personal convictions and that was never easy.

The captain looked across at Ben and nodded slowly. "I've been thinking the same thing. Nothing about this makes any sense."

* * *

**So, I have this plan to post shorter chapters, but more frequently. Let's see how it goes. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who is reading and especially thank you to the lovely reviewers. You will probably have more questions than answers by the end of this chapter, but I promise to answer them all. Eventually!**

**Chapter Two**

Black.

Cold.

Silence.

Lucas tried to move his fingers, but nothing happened. There was no sensation that told him his hands were either obstructed in some way or, in fact, still even attached to his arms. There was just nothing. His muscles didn't protest in any way. There was no resistance. There was just nothing.

Nothing.

"_Am I dead?"_ He tried to speak the words, but nothing happened. His brain registered the question, but nothing else happened. At least he assumed his brain was registering the question.

Nothing.

No light.

No sense of temperature.

No sound.

"_Where am I?"_ The logical, scientific part of his brain was trying desperately to override the terrified part of his brain. It wasn't having much success.

* * *

Bridger closed down the vidlink and stared across the room. How could there still be no information coming from anywhere? He looked back around the bridge at his people and saw the same frustration in their eyes. Twelve days with no answers was wearing all of them down. As if sensing his need, Darwin had stayed on the bridge instead of swimming free. Bridger leaned over the edge of the tank and stroked at Darwin's head. The simple physical contact with a friend helped a little with steadying his heartbeat, but did nothing for calming his mind.

"C'mon, Kiddo. Give me something! Anything!"

Ford leaned on the edge of the tank and studied his captain's face. The anguish was clear for anybody to see. Each of them was struggling in their own way, but he knew how deeply this was affecting Bridger.

"Captain … I … I can … " The thought died on his lips as he realised there was actually nothing he could do. He was a man of action and playing a waiting game was the hardest thing he could be asked to do.

"It's all right, Commander. I have to believe that Lucas will somehow find a way to contact us. He's smart, inventive and determined." He smiled slightly before continuing. "Or maybe just stubborn."

Neither of them gave voice to the thought that he may not be able to find a way. For now, all of them needed to keep the belief that Lucas was coming back. Ford wasn't sure how long they could keep it going and quite frankly he didn't want to know what it would do to the captain if Lucas didn't come back. Or worse. What if he was never found?

He quickly banished that thought into the too-hard-to-handle-right-now box. He knew that if that were the case then _seaQuest_ would most likely lose her captain too.

Bridger gave Darwin one last stroke before he straightened up. His crew needed him to be their captain and he needed to feel some measure of control again. As he looked around the bridge again he made eye contact with various crew members.

"We _are_ going to find him. He _is _coming back!"

Ford wasn't sure if the captain was intending to reassure the crew or himself, but whatever the case, each of them seemed to sit up a little straighter. To nod emphatically. To take on a new resolve to find their friend.

O'Neill almost jumped as his monitor came to life.

"Captain, you have an incoming call. It's Doctor Wolenczak."

"Put him on screen."

Ford noted that Bridger seemed to stand a little taller as he stepped away from the side of the pool.

The screen flickered with a UEO symbol before quickly resolving into a face. It was clear to see that Lawrence looked highly agitated.

"Nathan, what's going on? I've got an inbox full of emails and a vidlink full of calls. Where's Lucas?"

"We were hoping you could tell us."

"What are you talking about? Lucas is with you!" Lawrence leaned into the monitor.

Bridger shook his head at the screen. "No, he isn't. He was supposed to meet you in Pearl Harbor. Twelve days ago!"

"What? Nathan, I have no idea what you are talking about. And why would … " His face grew redder as a thought suddenly registered. "Are you telling me you haven't seen Lucas in twelve days?"

Bridger nodded before trying to explain. Ford noticed that he gripped the edge of the railing and wasn't sure if he needed it for strength. His face seemed to have paled as the implication of Lawrence's comments sunk in.

"Are you saying that you hadn't organised to meet Lucas at a convention?"

'Nathan, I already told you I have no idea what you are talking about. Now where is my son?"

"We don't know. He left here to meet up with you. At least that was what we all thought was happening. He was supposed to spend a week with you at Pearl for the energy convention. He agreed he would let me know when he arrived and he never contacted me. I assumed he had gotten side-tracked and we had an issue that _seaQuest_ was involved in. It was a day or so before I tried to call him again and after getting no response I contacted the hotel. They said he had not checked in because you had cancelled your booking. They had no information on where he went from there."

"Cancelled my booking? Nathan, I never had any booking because I hadn't organised to go to the convention. Lucas and I emailed about it, but I told him I couldn't get there as we have a World Power project I can't leave at the moment. We are at a critical stage and I've been too busy for anything else."

"Or any_ one_ else." Ben stared at the man on the vidscreen and wanted to scream the words at him. Instead he muttered them to those close enough to hear him. Several people nodded slightly in agreement. It was well known how little time the great Doctor Wolenczak gave to his only child.

Bridger leaned against the railing as the impact of the news hit him.

"So why would Lucas have gone there believing you were meeting him?"

Lawrence stared back at him. "Or more to the point, who would have made him believe that and what do they have to gain?"

As Bridger pondered that question he rubbed a hand over his face. Before he could respond, Lawrence jumped up and pushed up close to the screen.

"Nathan, has there been any kind of … any … threat or … any kind of ransom?" The tremor in his voice was crystal clear and as Ben watched the man he almost felt sorry for him. If only it hadn't taken them so long to get in contact with him he might have felt more sympathy.

"Nothing. We've had UEO personnel and police investigating. The Stinger turned up in New Cape Quest, which we can't explain yet."

Lawrence frowned at the screen. "Does it have that kind of range?"

"In the time that Lucas has been missing, yes, it does."

* * *

The blackness suddenly exploded into a riot of colour as images flooded his mind. They reeled through in such quick succession that he couldn't really catch any of them.

Lucas had no idea how long he had floated in the dark but now he almost wished the darkness would come back. Almost. At least this proved he was still alive. Sensory input meant his brain was still functioning.

Without any kind of reference point he could not determine the flow of time, but he estimated the blinding images lasted for ten minutes or so. Just as he was really wishing for the darkness again the images blanked out.

"_Be careful what you wish for!" _

Once again he tried to voice the thought, but his mouth would not move. He tried to lift his tongue to lick his lips, but it would not respond either. He tried to move his fingers and toes, but felt nothing. He had once broken his arm and knew how restricting a cast was, but this was nothing like that. Where a cast restricted movement, it still chafed on his skin when he tried to bend his arm. This time there was no chafing, or resistance of any kind. It was as if his body had lost all physical substance.

"_Maybe I really am dead."_

The thought lingered for a moment, but was quickly shoved aside as pain blasted into him. He couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, but it felt as if every inch of his skin was on fire. The normal reflex to withdraw from a painful stimulus didn't apply, as he couldn't move. Try as he might, there was no sensation in his body at all that showed he could move and yet his body was burning.

"_Help me!"_ The words screamed in his mind, but once again his mouth failed.

Just as the blinding images had blanked out, so too did the fire. He was left floating in the blackness again.

"_I've lost my mind!"_


	3. Chapter 3

**As always, thank you for the reviewers who take time to let me know what you think. Much appreciated. OK, so I was just wondering how many of you tried to lick your lips or wriggle your fingers while reading the end of the last chapter? Every time I re-read or re-wrote that part I found myself doing it! Maybe I'm just weird. **

**Chapter Three**

Kristin sat at the table with her fingers laced around a half empty mug of tea. It had been hot when she sat down with it, but that was over half an hour ago. She barely noticed as someone stopped beside her.

"Reading tea leaves now, Doc?"

"Hmm?"

Ben slid into the seat across from her and nodded towards her mug. "Thought you might have taken up reading tea leaves."

Kristin snorted as she tapped the side of the mug. "It may just be a good idea. Nothing else has turned up anything useful."

Ben just nodded. Even though he was the guy who could always be depended upon to crack a joke or say something ridiculous to lighten the mood, right now he was hard-pressed to come up with anything positive. It was now over three weeks that Lucas had been officially missing. For such a massive submarine, the _seaQuest _seemed incredibly empty without him.

Kristin looked away, as though she was intently focused on the far wall, before she slowly looked back at him. "Why does it feel like they have given up on him?"

Ben stared at her and tried to quell the fear rising from the pit of his stomach. He refused to agree with her assessment. "Captain Bridger hasn't given up. I haven't given up. Noyce hasn't given up."

"Hasn't he?" Kristin pushed the mug away from herself. "The UEO investigators say they have exhausted all avenues of inquiry. Without something new to go on, they aren't going to do anything further."

"That's the UEO. Not Bridger. And not Noyce."

Kristin frowned. The last conversation she had with Nathan had not gone well. While he had sent out teams from the _seaQuest_ to conduct their own investigations, the captain had been told he could not personally be a part of it. A missing crew member was taken very seriously, but it did not mean the UEO's flagship vessel just stopped functioning in its role. Kristin had been there while Nathan argued vigorously with Noyce. She knew where his heart was, but she also knew he was a military man who was used to following orders. As much as he hated it, he knew Bill was right. The _seaQuest _still had a job to do.

She cringed as she recalled his parting shot to one of his oldest friends. "Is it because he's a kid or a civilian that he matters less than a UEO sailor?"

Bill had looked aghast at the accusation, but had enough self-restraint not to give it any credit. He knew how badly his friend was suffering and he had no idea how to help him.

"He's close to resigning." Kristin looked away again, as her eyes began to tear up.

"What?" Ben had entertained the same thought himself. Going AWOL wasn't such a good idea, but if he resigned, he was free to search as long as he needed to. It had not occurred to him that Bridger might do the same thing. "He can't do that!"

"Why not? He left the navy once. It was Bill who dragged him back. "

Ben just stared at her; unsure of what to say in response. They sat in silence for a few moments as each of them pondered the implications of Bridger leaving.

"If he does, then I will too."

"Ben, Nathan would never ask you to end your career. His is nearly over and he knows it. Yours still has a long way to go." She looked intently at him as he took that in. "And despite rumours to the contrary, you are a damn fine officer!"

He smiled slightly. "I'm not sure how many other people would agree with you on that; but thank you. I just think that if he goes looking for Lucas then I can help him. He's got the brains, but I've got the contacts."

Ben leaned his elbows on the table and rubbed at his temples. "Unless, of course, he doesn't want me."

Kristin leaned over and touched his arm gently. "He'd be lucky to have you."

* * *

The blackness was unrelenting. With no way to mark the passage of time, it was impossible to tell how long he had been imprisoned. Each time he thought he had reached the point where he couldn't stand it any more, they seemed to throw the switch and hit him with something else. It was never in any kind of sequence, but they alternated between total darkness and silence, blinding imagery or incredible bursts of pain. None of it made any sense.

And it was still simply "they". Just who the hell were "they"? And what, exactly, did they hope to achieve from this? It made no sense at all. If it was meant to be torture, why weren't they asking any questions? He was pretty sure that anything he had access to would have been secured once he went missing so they weren't going to get anything of use anyway.

He knew it had been a long time, but he couldn't really tell how long. Definitely days; maybe even weeks. He had no idea of when he had been conscious or rendered unconscious at all. Sleep didn't seem like it was possible, but he knew his body couldn't sustain being awake indefinitely. Somewhere in there he must have slept. Maybe that was when he dreamed.

Images of the _seaQuest_ had floated through his mind and kept him company in the darkness. At first he had dreamed of people. Past events, which brought a smile to his face. Well, they would have if he could feel his face to make it move. But now those same images did not bring comfort. Instead, it seemed that each time he recalled one of them it triggered an onslaught of pain or a barrage of blinding images. Whatever measure of comfort he had been able to pull up was being quickly eroded.

He was still no closer to knowing where he was. It was impossible to gauge anything with no real sensory input. It felt as if his thoughts and feelings were no longer attached to his body. And why wasn't he hungry or thirsty?

Finally an especially unsettling thought occurred to him.

_"I really am dead and this is Hell." _

It certainly made sense.

* * *

Jake Edmonds had been a UEO investigator for over fourteen years and he had covered all sorts of scenarios in that time. Bomb threats, murders, terrorist activity, blackmail, official corruption; the list was far too long for him to recall.

He stared at the number in his hand and debated if he was really ready to make the call. It wasn't that he was concerned at having to speak with the Secretary General as he had done that many times before. It was the nature of the news that he had to relay that bothered him. He wanted to be certain. Unfortunately a large part of his work revolved around uncertainties that eventually resolved themselves into fairly certains. Sometimes they were definites, but that either took time or a whole lot of luck. So far, luck wasn't on his side with this one.

Finally he punched up the vidlink and waited for it to dial. The UEO symbol resolved into the Secretary General's personal assistant.

"Good morning, Mr Edmonds."

Jake smiled at her. "Good morning, Ellen. Is Secretary General Noyce available?"

"He is for you. He's been expecting to hear from you. I'll just put you through."

"Thanks."

It was only a moment before the screen switched to the next office.

"Jake. Tell me where we are at?"

Not wasting time on pleasantries. That was very uncharacteristic for Bill Noyce, but it was obvious he had a lot on his plate.

"Morning, Bill. It's not good. We've found proof that at least one of the guards was involved and has been for some time. It looks like he smuggled in the meds that she took to fake the heart attack. The medics all claimed they thought it was the real deal and we aren't talking about trainees. She was sweating profusely, in severe pain and her heart was in arrhythmia. Once she was prepped for transfer from the facility the guard insisted on traveling with her. The medic agreed. "

Noyce rubbed a hand through his hair and frowned. UEO facilities were supposed to be secure and yet it appeared one of their highest profile prisoners had managed to pull off a fake heart attack and waltz right out the door!

"It makes us all look like fools!"

Jake hesitated as he had more news to deliver and none of it was good.

* * *

Noyce stared at the blank vidscreen. Every call he had made to the _seaQuest_ in the last couple of weeks had ended poorly. His friendship with Nathan Bridger was taking a beating as he had to keep a leash on the man. It grated that he had to do so, but the UEO's vast and various needs did not stop because a teenager was still unaccounted for.

What really worried him was that Nathan might pull the plug on it all. It had taken all his powers of persuasion to get Bridger onto the _seaQuest_ in the first place. He had ordered Ford to appear incompetent so the man of rank would be forced to pull rank in a crisis. He had been rather proud of himself with the results of that little stunt.

It could have all backfired on him. Bridger told Lucas once that Noyce had kidnapped his dolphin. That also could have gotten ugly. But it hadn't. Nathan had fallen in love with his dream again and realised he still had a lot to offer the world. The _seaQuest _dragged him off that island and gave him a life again. A crew. Or more like a family. And that was exactly where the knife had sunk in so deeply now.

"_I might as well have stabbed him myself!"_

Bridger had told him that he was happy, alone on his island. He didn't have to care about anybody anymore. Noyce had made him care again. He brought him alongside a young man who needed somebody to guide him. Out of a mutual need and similar interests, the two had bonded and everybody had seemed pleased with the result. It was good to see his friend come back to life.

"_Except now this is killing him all over again."_

The irony that the most powerful man in the UEO felt so utterly helpless was not lost on him. He stared at the black screen for another few minutes before he sucked in a deep breath. Somebody needed to tell Bridger that Andrea Dre had pulled off a prison break. While he really did not want to add to the man's problems right now, he knew it had to come from him. He owed him that much at least. He reluctantly reached out and punched the buttons to call up the _seaQuest._

**A/N: The next week is going to be really busy for me so not sure how quickly the next chapter will get done. I promise I am coming back as soon as possible. After all, I want to know what they are doing to Lucas too. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay with this chapter but I did warn you I was away. I hope it was worth the wait.**

**Chapter Four**

Andrea Dre couldn't contain the smirk any longer. She had listened intently in the foyer as the two scientists had filled her in on their last couple of weeks' work, but actually seeing it for herself was beyond what she had ever hoped for. They had worked together before, of course, but they had truly outdone themselves this time.

The metallic tank was large and sleek and completely sealed, but the video playing out across the screen showed her all that she needed to see. She leaned in closer and watched as a bank of monitors relayed complex information to the doctors. She understood enough of it to see that sudden spikes in the heart and respiration monitor corresponded directly with one of them flipping a switch. She noted their careful timing of each transition. It was almost eerie to note that the body never so much as twitched.

She straightened up and nodded towards the two men. "Well done! In fact, exceptionally well done, gentlemen. How much longer do you think we need?"

"Another few days and we should be good to go."

Dre nodded and rubbed her hands together with delight. "Excellent. Let me know when we are ready to let the rat out of the maze."

The second scientist nodded as he walked her towards the door. "I have to wonder if this was how Mengele felt when his experiments proved successful?" The look on his face matched her own calculating look.

"Well he only had second-rate subjects to work with. You had them genetically tailor-made for you to perfect your art and now you have a brilliant mind to play with. I can see that you are enjoying your work."

"This has been the most rewarding project I have worked on, that's for sure."

Dre smiled as she nodded at him. "Financially rewarding as well." She knew full well that money was not the driving factor for either of the two men, but it definitely helped to grease wheels.

"Well that helps too, but the UEO should never have abandoned this place!"

The former secretary general glanced around the spartan room before heading out the door. "I agree, it was important work, but men of _principle_ overrode us. Their short-sightedness left us with a gaping hole in our defenses. Well several of those men are about to see that if they wanted to bury this then they really should have buried it!"

The petite woman strode confidently down the corridor. It had been extremely useful to have access to top-secret UEO information that everybody wanted to pretend never existed. The former GELF lab was exactly what she needed to take her revenge. As she walked away, the smirk was back.

"Because now I am going to bury _them_!"

* * *

_It was snowing again. The weather report had said it was a high probability so he wasn't really surprised. He helped Carol into her coat before turning to pick up his own. It was only a short stroll to the theatre, but he wondered if they should call a cab after all. As he rustled around the bedside table looking for the room key he was surprised to hear a knock at the door. They hadn't ordered anything from room service and nobody knew they were there. After all, it was supposed to be a romantic weekend away.  
_

_Carol was closer to the door and he continued to look for the key as she went to see who was knocking. He wasn't fully paying attention, but something made him stand up and take notice. He would never be able to define what it was that suddenly caught his attention. It may have been the sight of military uniforms. Or it may have been Carol's gasp of surprise. Whatever it was, his senses amped a notch. As he moved towards the door he was stunned to see Bill Noyce. It didn't take a genius to know something was seriously wrong. The look on his friend's face was pure agony._

"_I'm sorry, Nathan. I wish I had better news, but Lucas' ship has gone down. He's listed as MIA."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

_As he looked over at Carol she had dropped onto the bed and sat staring at him. Tears glistened in her eyes, but so far she hadn't said a word. Her mouth seemed frozen in place, as if she was going to speak, but the words were stuck in her throat._

_Somebody was knocking at the door again. Quite insistently. He looked down at his hands and wondered how he came to be holding a flannelette shirt. _

Bridger jolted awake. It took a moment to realise that what he had thought was someone knocking on the door was actually Darwin tapping on the glass. He pushed himself upright and absently rubbed at the crick in his neck. Darwin floated soundlessly in the aquatube, like some kind of sentinel.

"What in the ….?" It took a moment for the disorientation to dissipate, but gradually the room came back into focus. A pile of electronic equipment sat precariously balanced on a desk that was crammed full of … well … stuff seemed to be the only appropriate word. To an outsider it would have looked like junk, but to the captain he knew it was part of some electronic whatsit that Lucas had been working on before he … before …

Bridger suddenly realised he was holding something and looked down to see a checked flannelette shirt spread across his chest. It was scrunched up tightly in his hands. Almost as if he held on to it tightly enough he could bring its owner back to claim it.

The sour remains of the dream flitted through his mind. Something was off. Bill had told him that Lucas' ship had gone down. Except in the real scenario his friend had come to tell him his son was MIA. Robert's ship had gone down after being torpedoed and at that point he was still unaccounted for. He clearly remembered the look on his wife's face and the half-strangled sob she had made as she dropped onto the bed. The moment his life changed forever was etched deeply into his memory.

Darwin tapped on the glass again. Bridger looked up at the dolphin and nodded slightly. He reached towards the vocorder but then realised there was nothing he really wanted to say anyway. How was he supposed to reassure a dolphin when he couldn't even reassure himself?

He tugged at his sleeve to check his watch and noted that he must have been asleep for a couple of hours. He hadn't intended to fall asleep, but he had simply gone to Lucas' quarters looking for some connection. The room was unusually tidy, but that was only because Lucas had cleaned up before heading off. Finally something of the military environment was rubbing off.

Bridger slowly stretched out his legs and stood up from the bunk. He was about to drop the shirt back where he had picked it up from, but then decided against it. As he headed out the door he had it rolled up in a ball and clutched at it tightly.

It only took a few minutes for him to reach his own quarters. He sat down on the bed but quickly realised that sleep wasn't going to come back any time soon. His mind was racing. Instead, he reached over and flipped on the holoscreen. In seconds the vaporous image of Professor Martinson dropped into view.

"Hello, Nathan." The smile seemed genuine even though he knew the personality was artificially generated. "What's on your mind?"

"Retirement."

"You tried that once already, remember?"

"This is different."

The holographic projection appeared to frown slightly. "In what way?"

Nathan pushed off his bunk and began pacing the room. The professor's eyes watched him as he paced. When the captain didn't respond, the hologram tried again.

"Nathan. Why would you want to leave the _seaQuest_? It's your dream come to fruition."

"Dreams can die." Nathan continued to pace across the small space. "And so can people!"

The professor was programmed to show a range of emotions and at that moment he had a look of empathy on his face. As much as Nathan knew it was all fake, it had never gotten in the way of him conversing with the professor before.

"Nathan, is there anyone in particular you are referring to?"

The captain stopped pacing and turned to glare at the old man in front of him. "I don't need to tell you what you already know."

Martinson tried again. "I don't see how your past losses relates to your sudden desire to retire. After all, you retired then and came back. What are you not telling me about now?"

As much as he knew the idea of a holographic sounding board was to allow him to have these kind of discussions, it somehow irked him that he still needed to spell it out. If he was dealing with the real Martinson he would just know and Nathan would be spared having to detail it. As if, somehow, speaking it out made it real.

"I'm afraid."

When it appeared there was nothing more coming, the professor gently probed again.

"Afraid of what? Or who?"

Nathan slumped back onto his bed and rubbed a hand through his hair. He looked down at the scrunched up shirt on his lap. "I'm afraid that … that Lucas is dead." He barely choked out the last of the sentence. It was the first time he had actually voiced it out loud.

"Why do you think that?"

"He's been missing for over three weeks. He disappeared without a trace after he left here in the Stinger. We found the Stinger where it shouldn't have been, but after that there was nothing. The police have nothing. The UEO have nothing!"

"So you are planning to go looking for yourself."

"I have to know. I can't … I sent multiple teams out to investigate. The police do their job, but they are under-resourced. The UEO has people on it, but they have hit a dead end. But it's not the same. I need to know that _I _did all that I could to find him."

"Nathan, has Lucas ever expressed a desire to leave the _seaQuest_?"

"_What?"_

"Has Lucas ever been frustrated? Or less than honest? Has he ever wanted to leave? Or maybe do something desperate to get his father's attention?"

"Are you suggesting he disappeared on purpose? I can't believe that for a minute!"

"You didn't answer my questions, Nathan. Part of my design purpose is to ask the questions that a human may not feel comfortable asking."

Nathan stared at the professor. What scared him was that he could answer "yes" to all of those questions. "He has his moments. He's a kid on a military sub full of adults!"

A memory from a few months earlier rose in his mind. Lucas had lied about going to the Sanger Institute for a party. If he hadn't been busted on his way back, Bridger wondered if he ever would have confessed. It wasn't like no other teenager had ever lied to their parents and slipped out of the house. The fact it was a little more difficult for Lucas to sneak out didn't mean he couldn't. He had also told them he wanted to stay at the Node with young people his own age who had similar interests. Ultimately though, he had freely returned to the _seaQuest_.

"No! I can't believe that Lucas would willingly put us through this! As much he craves attention from his father, I absolutely cannot believe he could be this cruel."

The professor nodded slowly. "No, I don't believe so either. But my role is to help you to eliminate ideas as much as to promote discussion about them. So then, let's go back to your plan to go looking for him. Where do you intend to start?"

"The last place he was seen for sure. Pearl Harbor."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thankyou for the kind reviews. I think you might like this chapter. But I think you might still have a few questions :-)**

**Chapter Five**

The smell was the first thing he noticed. Something was rotting. Darwin had once rejected a fish and tossed it back over the edge of the moonpool. It fell down a drainage grate and nobody had found it until several days had passed. By then, the smell had taken hold of the whole room. What he could smell now was in the same category of disgusting. Lucas screwed up his nose and tried breathing through his mouth.

That presented a whole other issue. His mouth tasted like the bottom of a bird cage. Not that he knew what that actually tasted like, but the analogy seemed pretty close. His tongue felt thick and dry as he tried to lick his lips.

He opened his eyes and quickly clamped them shut again. The brightness of the sunlight overwhelmed him. He rolled over onto his side and tentatively opened his eyes again. The row of trash cans across from him was obviously the source of the stench as garbage overflowed from them and onto the ground.

Puddles of water scattered across the area and he realised that he was half lying in a dirty puddle. As he pushed himself upright he glanced around. It appeared he was in some kind of alleyway. He reached up and tentatively touched his forehead before probing the rest of his head.

_"No sign of head trauma. OK, that's a good thing."_

"Where am I?"

He didn't expect an answer since there was nobody around, but he hoped his mind would soon catch up with his body and tell him what was going on. He gently patted himself down, checking for any kind of injury. When he found none, he slowly stood up. Since he didn't recognise the place at all he slowly moved towards the end of the alley where he could hear sounds. Muffled voices, laughter and vehicles passing by all competed with his senses. The stink faded a little as he moved away from the cans.

As he stepped out of the alleyway he looked around. What he saw could have been any one of hundreds of cities. Multitudes of tall buildings, traffic and billboards advertising any number of things. Nothing looked familiar and a sense of panic was beginning to rise in his chest. He had absolutely no idea where he was or how he came to be there.

* * *

Bridger waited as the last of his senior crew filed into the wardroom. It was the end of the shift and some of them had to hand over to the next shift before making it to the unscheduled meeting. Ford stood towards the back of the room without saying a word. As the captain motioned for him to take a seat he just nodded and reluctantly complied. He was pretty sure he knew what was coming and he couldn't think of any way to avert it.

Each of the crew looked around, but nobody was talking. The captain's sombre appearance was enough to silence them.

"Thankyou for coming down so quickly. I wanted you all to hear this directly from me so there is no room for misunderstanding or recriminations."

Bridger stood up and leaned on the back of his chair. "I know how hard you have worked to try to find Lucas since he disappeared."

He nodded towards Ben as he continued. "Lieutenant, I know you have chased up every shred of a lead you could draw on, both in New Cape Quest and Pearl Harbor. And everywhere in between."

Bridger looked over towards Ford. "I know you led teams into every place we could think of."

Crocker stared straight ahead at the table. "Chief, I know you've called up every resource you could."

He glanced around at the rest of the group. "I know that each of you has contributed every idea and every piece of skill you could muster. I couldn't ask for a finer crew in a crisis."

Ford clamped his hands together under the desk. What he wanted to do was jump up and shout. To stop what he knew was coming. Instead, he sat silently as his captain continued.

"I know that the UEO has also pulled out everything they have to find Lucas. Admiral Noyce has personally followed up on the investigations. Lawrence has paid exorbitant sums of money to private investigators with no answers. The reason I'm reminding you of all this is that I don't, for one second, want you to think that I don't think you all did enough."

Tim glanced across at Miguel and could see his own concern mirrored on his friend's face. _"This can't end well."_

"But_ I_ haven't done enough. We all understand the military and I know that I can't just leave when I want to so I can follow my own pursuits. I have been blocked from doing what I need to do." He scrubbed a hand through his hair as he carried on. "I can't just drop this. Admiral Noyce is right when he says the UEO still needs the _seaQuest _to do her job. In order to do that she needs a captain but as long as I remain the captain of the _seaQuest _I will be hamstrung by protocols."

Bridger reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. As he laid it on the table, each of his crew knew what it contained. "I am tendering my resignation to the admiral in the morning. Commander Ford will be acting captain until the UEO makes a more permanent decision. If my opinion counts for anything, _you_ would be the permanent decision, Commander."

Ford tried to smile at the compliment but all he could manage was a tightening of his lips. Everybody who knew him, knew that captaining the _seaQuest _one day was his ultimate goal. But not like this.

As the captain looked around the table, nobody spoke. Kristin had tears in her eyes, but she was managing to hold it together. Just.

"I want you all to know that it has been an honour and a privilege to serve with each of you."

Ben pushed out from his chair and stood up. "Take me with you."

Bridger sucked in a slow breath before responding. "Ben, I appreciate your …"

"I'll resign! Go AWOL! Whatever! Captain, you can't do this on your own."

The captain walked around the table and laid a hand on Ben's shoulder. "I can't ask you to sacrifice your career."

"You're not asking! I'm volunteering. Who needs a career anyway? Captain … please …. let me help you. I told you once that Lucas is like a little brother to me. I meant it."

Bridger stood and looked at him without responding. Eventually he smiled slightly. "I know. Let me sleep on it. I'll talk to you in the morning."

* * *

Kristin stood at the closed door and raised her hand to knock. She hesitated for a moment, but then knocked a few sharp raps. It took a couple of minutes for the door to swing open and she thought he may not want to talk to her.

"Here to talk me out of it?"

"I don't believe I could … even if I thought I should."

"In that case, come in." Bridger stepped back to allow her to pass and then slowly closed the door behind her. "Please, take a seat."

As he sat down across from her he noted how tired she looked. "Kristin, I know you … I hope that … I …"

"Have you spoken to Bill yet?"

"I was just about to call him when you arrived."

"What about Lieutenant Krieg?"

The captain frowned at her. "As much as I want to turn him down … I could use the help." The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Kristin ... you know why I have to go, don't you? I can't do this again. Not knowing."

Kristin nodded as she reached across the desk and patted the back of his hand. There was nothing really to say and they both knew it.

* * *

Lucas stumbled down the sidewalk and away from the alley. He received a few sideways glances from people as they walked past him. As he debated where he should go he noticed a couple of traffic cops coming towards him. They were each carrying a coffee and were about to cross the road. As he looked around he could see their vehicle parked across from where he was standing. Something in him told he could ask for help, but just as quickly an alarm bell began ringing in his head. In his haste to back away from them he turned too quickly and tripped over his own foot. As he sprawled into the gutter the two cops noticed and turned back towards him.

"Hey, Junior! Just how much have you had to drink?"

Lucas pushed himself off the ground and tried to stand up. His pants were dragging under his foot and he struggled to disentangle himself. "Uh, nothing! I haven't had anything to drink."

"Sure thing, kid. You look stone cold sober to me."

The other cop eyed him over as he finally managed to stand upright. "Been sleeping in a trashcan? Cos you stink."

The first one flipped out a datapad. "OK, sunshine, what's your name and address?"

"Lucas."

"Lucas what?"

Lucas rubbed a hand through his hair. "It's Lucas Wolenczak. And I live on the _seaQuest."_

The two cops burst out laughing. "Sure you do, kid. And my grandmother lives on the moon! Now, how do I spell that name of yours and where do you really live?"

Lucas spelled out his name, twice, as was usually the case and waited for them to pull up his ID. Every time he dealt with anybody outside the UEO it was the same. Nobody ever believed him the first time around. When they finally did get it, there were all sorts of comments and questions. He was really tired of this game, but for now, he knew the two cops were his best bet to answer some of his own questions.

He could see the exact moment when the penny dropped. The cop's smile turned serious and he tapped furiously at the datapad again. Finally he looked across at his partner. As he held up the screen, the two of them turned back to study Lucas.

"Lucas Wolenczak? The son of Lawrence Wolenczak?"

Lucas just nodded at them. _"Oh man. I'm in trouble now if they are gonna call him!"_

"Um, listen Lucas, I think you need to come over to the car with us. I have a call to make." The two cops silently moved to either side of him and he felt himself being herded across the street. There was no option for him to be going anywhere but where he was told.

"_Dad's gonna kill me! Captain Bridger's gonna kill me!"_

One of the officers opened the rear door and motioned for Lucas to climb in. While he didn't shut the door, he didn't move away from it either. The other officer was standing outside on the sidewalk, talking to somebody on a portable vidlink. While Lucas couldn't make out the conversation he could certainly see the facial expressions and animated hand gestures.

"_What, exactly, did I do last night?"_


	6. Chapter 6

**Thankyou as always for the kind reviews. It seems some of you are on to me. Or maybe you have just read a few of my stories and know I don't go easy on the ones I like :-)**

**I found I had a slight dilemma with this chapter. I know in canon the _seaQuest_'s home port was Pearl Harbor in season one and Noyce became Sec Gen as well. By season two they were based out of New Cape Quest. If we take into account the events of my story, I don't think Lawrence could have still been so clueless at the end of the first season. But my characters fit season one. So I guess we are going a little AU here. Hope that's OK. Kinda bad luck if it's not.  
**

**Chapter Six**

Andrea Dre was a woman who was used to getting things done, as and when she demanded. In her role as the Secretary General of the UEO it had been quite simple really. She gave the orders and they got done. Right up until the point where Nathan Bridger refused to play the game and just do as he was told. His meddling and improvisation had cost her dearly. Her plans, that had been so long in the making, were destroyed overnight.

Now it was time to resurrect them and put them back on the table.

She sat back and watched the video feed again. It was perfect. Lucas had woken up right where she needed him to and those two stupid cops were so predictable in their daily caffeine hit. The only downside to today's plan was that Bridger would be feeling so good when he got his little brat back.

"But not for long," she muttered to herself as the video feed wrapped up.

* * *

Ben stood and stared at the duffel bag on his bunk. He was assuming they would need to travel lightly, so had only packed the basics. Obviously somebody else would be tasked with clearing out his quarters as there wasn't time to do it now. He glanced around and wondered who would get stuck with the job. Despite the apparent disarray, it was actually totally organised. Well, mostly. He had stayed up late into the night to ensure it was. There were bills of lading in a file on his desk and everything was accounted for. He guessed the UEO would lay claim to it all anyway, but he hoped his suppliers would at least get paid. It wouldn't help their task if he burned too many bridges while leaving the _seaQuest_. After all, word spread quickly and he relied on both reputation and credibility. Much more so than he was generally given credit for, as most people assumed he was just a slick talker.

Finally he decided it was time to go and see the captain. He took one last look around the room. Memories crowded for his attention, but he shoved them aside.

"So long," he whispered.

His mind couldn't help but chipping in with, "_A__nd thanks for all the fish_."

He smiled slightly at the stupid reference as he picked up the duffel, swung it over his shoulder and marched out the door without stopping to look back. His life in the UEO was almost a closed book.

* * *

Lucas sat and sipped at the mug of coffee that had been placed on the table. It was too hot, but at least the taste helped clear the horrible residue out of his mouth. He had never really been hungover, but wondered if this was what it felt like. He had heard enough stories of being so drunk that people could lose chunks of time and memories. He frowned at the coffee as he swirled it around the mug, trying to cool it down a little.

"_Is that why I don't remember how I got there?"_

The two traffic cops had decided he needed to go for a ride to the nearest precinct. While he felt inclined to argue with them and tell them he hadn't done anything wrong, he wasn't entirely sure of that now. On the way there they had both kept glancing over into the back and watching him. The fact that neither of them was doing much talking was unnerving.

"_What exactly did you pick up on that call before?"_

Something was definitely wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Aside from the whole memory-not-working-too-well thing. Something else was going on and he had the distinct feeling he was being stalled.

By the time he finished the coffee nobody had come back, so he decided it was time to go and find somebody. Anybody would do. So long as they could clue him in on what was happening. As he pushed back from the table he could hear voices coming down the corridor outside. One of them was the cop from before and one was someone totally unexpected.

"_Oh, this so cannot be good! Why would they need to call him?"_

He debated sitting back down and trying to look contrite, but the door swung open before he could make a decision.

"Lucas? Oh thank God! It really is you! I thought for a moment somebody was just trying to claim the reward again."

Noyce strode across the room and clasped hold of Lucas' arms. As he surreptitiously checked for damage, Lucas just stared at him in confusion.

"Um … yeah … last I checked, I'm still me. Um, not to be rude or anything, but … um … why are you here?" He glanced around the room. "Wherever "here" is."

Suddenly another thought registered. "And what reward? What's going on?"

Noyce motioned for him to sit down at the table again. He slid into the chair across from him, but never took his eyes off the teen. Several more people had entered behind him and Lucas nervously glanced around the room.

"Have I done something wrong?"

"No! No, not at all! Lucas, we're just profoundly relieved to have finally found you!"

"Found me? I don't … I … what's going on?"

Before Noyce could answer, another officer arrived. The room was getting rather crowded.

"Sir, we are trying to get a patch through to the _seaQuest _now and one of the guys is chasing up Doctor Wolenczak."

"Thankyou, let me know when you get through. This is one message I want to be the one to relay personally." After all the weeks of butting heads with Bridger, he knew this could make up for some of it and help restore things between them. More than that, he also wanted to see his friend's face when he got the news.

"Ahh, what's going on?" Lucas looked back and forth between the adults surrounding him. He knew he was missing a major chunk of information and it was becoming very unsettling.

Noyce leaned in towards him. "Lucas, what's the last thing you remember?"

"Besides waking up in a smelly back alleyway? Well," he paused for a moment, "that would be getting in the Stinger. Heading for Pearl Harbor to meet my father. I don't understand! What happened to me?"

"Lucas … I'm not sure if you realise, but that was almost a month ago. You've been missing since you left the hotel."

"What! A month! That isn't possible. Is it?"

A month! No wonder they all looked the way they did.

"So … where am I now?" I didn't recognise anything, out there." He gestured towards the door but Noyce knew he had a bigger picture in mind than the station.

"It's not surprising since you were found in a part of town you've probably never been to. Lucas, you are in Pearl Harbor. These officers called it in when they did an ID match on you and it triggered a UEO alert. That came straight through to me and I wanted to see for myself."

Noyce rubbed a hand along the length of his jaw. "This is one call I wanted to be one hundred percent certain on before I called anybody."

* * *

Ben knocked on the captain's door and waited. He had already resolved that if Bridger turned him down, he was going anyway. After all, if the captain was no longer the captain, he couldn't give him orders anymore. He sucked in a deep breath and waited for the door to open.

It seemed to be an eternity before the hatch swung open. Captain Bridger nodded at him as he noted the duffel bag and civilian clothing. "Come in, Lieutenant."

Kristin was sitting at the desk and smiled as she saw him. It was no surprise to her that Ben was so determined and after Nathan's earlier comment she could already see the two of them heading off together. A faint flicker of hope crossed her face.

Ben stopped just inside the door, unsure of what to do next. His earlier conviction hadn't changed, but the captain wasn't giving any clue as to his answer. The strap of the duffel bag was digging into his shoulder and he slipped a thumb under it to adjust the weight.

Bridger looked like he hadn't slept. When he finally began to speak, he confirmed that suspicion.

"Lieutenant, I have debated most of the night what to do with you ... but I guess I won't be calling you that for much longer."

Ben grinned at him as he took in the implication.

"As much as I hate knowing what you are leaving behind, you have to know how much I appreciate the offer. You're right. I can't do this on my own and …"

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a call from the bridge. "Captain, we have a priority call from the Secretary General."

Bridger raised an eyebrow in surprise. Beaten to the punch! "Well put him through, Commander."

Bridger looked over at Kristin before nodding towards Ben. "Ready? This is your last chance to change your mind."

"No, Sir! I'm in, all the way."

The viewscreen flickered to life and Commander Ford appeared on the screen. "Coming through now, Sir."

The image morphed into Noyce's face on the screen as Bridger braced himself for the conversation ahead. It wasn't going to be pretty. Except that something was wrong. Bill was grinning like a Cheshire cat!

"Nathan. We've got him! We've found Lucas!"

Bridger stumbled towards the screen. He hadn't realised how close he had come to believing he would never hear those words. "Bill … are you sure?"

"I'm positive! Lucas is right here, safe and in one piece." He reached out to his left, out of view of the screen. "Ask him yourself."

As Noyce pulled Lucas into view, Bridger felt his knees buckle. He grabbed at the desk before straightening himself up. It took a minute for him to find his voice.

"Lucas! Oh, thank God!" The words came out in a tumble as he stared at the face on the screen. He was almost afraid that if he looked away he would wake up from yet another dream. Kristin had moved up beside him and squeezed his arm.

Lucas shuffled uncomfortably as he watched his friends' faces. While the admiral had filled him in, he hadn't really believed he had been missing for nearly a month. It was only yesterday to him that he had left the _seaQuest._

"Captain."

"Are you all right? I mean, you aren't hurt are you?" Bridger searched the screen for any sign of injury, but could only see Lucas' face and shoulders.

Lucas shook his head. "Nope. I'm fine. A little confused about what's going on."

"Where are you?"

How many times had he asked that question over the past few weeks?

Noyce pushed himself back into view. "We are at the 14th Precinct, but will be heading back to UEO headquarters. A couple of traffic cops picked him up on the street and the alert came straight through to me when they checked his ID."

Bridger pressed the intercom button on the desk. "Commander, plot a course for Pearl Harbor. Best speed. They've found Lucas!"

"Captain?" Ford looked around the bridge and saw the elation spreading. "Are they sure?"

"I'm looking at him, Jonathan! Just get us to Pearl, asap."

"Yes, Sir!" The words came through the comm with the backing of loud cheering. Bridger could imagine the scene playing out on the bridge. He had almost given up hope this day would come. A thousand questions ran through his mind, but the most important one had been answered for him. Lucas was still alive!

* * *

My apologies to Douglas Adams for nicking the title of his book for a silly joke. But given his ridiculous sense of humour, I think he might approve.

"_So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"_ is from _"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"_ trilogy of four books!


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, sorry for the wait, but life is busy. Thankyou for the lovely reviews. It always makes my day to see them in the inbox. I don't know if anyone can help me but I don't have season three and can't remember where the GELF lab was exactly. Any clues? Thanks.  
**

**Chapter Seven**

Jake Edmonds had traipsed all over the world in the years he had worked for the UEO. Some cases were extremely convoluted and tough to crack, but his track record was pretty impressive. After the countless cases he had worked on, or been called in to consult on, there were only six that were still open. The UEO had actually closed them for lack of anything further to go on, but to Jake, they were still, most definitely, open. He was determined that this one would not become number seven.

He wasn't the kind of man who sought the limelight as that could be extremely unhelpful in his line of work. The problem with this case was that it was destined to become extremely high profile. There was no way the UEO leadership could keep a lid on the prison break of one of their most well known political prisoners. He hoped that by the time the news was made public he would have a solid lead and able to help the Secretary General save face, somehow.

He sat in the shade from the café porch and sipped absently at a long glass of something. His mind wasn't really interested in the drink, beyond the fact it was cold and wet. The heat was unbearable and he would have liked to head back inside where the air-conditioner was cranked up, but he couldn't see his target from there. He tapped slowly at his laptop keyboard while keeping an eye on the young blonde woman a few feet away from him. She was undoubtedly attractive; in that ditzy, airhead blonde kind of way. Still, he could see why a young buck would fall for her. As he watched her, he wondered if she knew all that she had gotten herself involved in.

She had been sitting alone for almost fifteen minutes when a young man appeared from the café doorway. He glanced around before rushing over towards her. Jake watched as the woman caught sight of him and the two were soon caught up in a rather passionate embrace. There were very few other customers sitting outside and nobody seemed particularly interested in the young lovers' reunion. Jake turned his laptop slightly and began discreetly snapping shots.

Tracking down the guard from Dre's prison break had proven extremely difficult. Tracking his girlfriend had turned out to be a whole lot easier. From there it was just a matter of wait and see. When she suddenly booked a trip to a tropical island, Jake was seated on the same plane, a few rows behind her. As she had spent three days strolling around flea markets and sunbathing, almost nude, on the beach, he had begun to wonder if he had blown it and the guard had escaped. He thought it may have been a set up to throw him off the scent and that she had been hung out to dry by her boyfriend.

Right up until said boyfriend walked into the café. Yep, he smiled slightly; his street instincts were still functioning just fine. He tugged his cell phone out of his pocket and began dialing. While he was used to working alone, there were times when it was both smart and necessary to call in local law enforcement. It made them look good, ensured he got co-operation as he wasn't stepping on any toes and generally made the process go smoother. The downside was when he knew he was in areas with corrupt officers. Fortunately for him, the upside to so many years on the job was the number of contacts he had in many places. He smiled as his long-time friend finally picked up.

"Hey, amigo. Ready to make the bust of your career?"

* * *

Lucas sat on the lounge, staring out the window. The street below was packed with traffic and he guessed it was time for commuters to be heading home from work. Normal things continued on in the world around him, while his world had been badly shaken. Noyce sat across from him and watched without comment.

Once he had contacted the _seaQuest_ and relayed the best message of his life, they had waited until an aide had made contact with Lawrence. He had spent some time with the man in a professional capacity and while he had great respect for his intellect and plans for free power, he was less impressed with him as a human being and father. The whole plan to place Lucas on board the _seaQuest_ had been Lawrence's idea in the first place. Noyce still wasn't quite sure what had made him say yes, but the doctor had been quite persuasive. After a while, the admiral had come to believe it was a good choice, especially once Bridger came aboard. The events of the last month had made him question that decision many times over. By the time the call had come through from Lawrence, Noyce had mentally beaten himself to a pulp. No parent should be left wondering if their child was alive.

He looked across at the teenager and wondered, again, where he had been for the last month. After arriving back at UEO headquarters he had insisted on a full medical check before allowing Lucas to take a shower. To his profound relief, the doctor had declared him to be totally fine; aside from a complete lack of memory, of course. While he sent Lucas off to get cleaned up, he had spoken further with the doctor. She was one of the best and he was totally confident in her medical knowledge. She had told him that it was not uncommon for people to blank out traumatic or extremely stressful memories for a time. The fact it was such a long period of time was obviously disturbing, but she felt confident, that with time, the information would surface.

Lucas hadn't moved from his spot by the window in over twenty minutes. Noyce thought it was the longest he had ever seen him sit still. His own brain was chewing through information and he wondered just what was going on inside the kid's head.

The jeans itched against his leg. He scratched at them without really thinking. They were new, so not yet washed and worn in. He knew that Noyce had sent out for clothes for him while he went for a medical and he was relieved not to be wearing a UEO uniform instead. His own clothes were filthy and they had disappeared off somewhere. Probably to a forensics lab would be his guess. Maybe they could pull up some information to fill in the giant hole in his brain.

The doctor that had checked him out had been friendly enough. She had declared him to be fine and he could have laughed in her face. Anybody could see he wasn't fine! His brain was fried! As he scowled at the memory, he realised somebody was sitting across from him. Noyce.

"_When did that happen?"_

In an attempt to cover his confusion he asked a logical question.

"How long 'til the _seaQuest_ docks?"

Noyce looked startled by the question, as if he had been off somewhere else. He glanced at his watch to check. "Another hour or so. Would you rather wait here or head down to the dock?"

Lucas looked around the office and tried to smile. "I want to go home."

_"Understood."_

Noyce quickly reached over and tapped at an intercom. "Ellen, can you get us a driver please?"

"Yes, Sir. Right away."

As they stood up to leave the office, Ellen called through again. "Sir, the doctor's plane will be landing in about four hours. Shall I send a driver for him?"

"Thankyou. Yes. Get them to bring him straight to the _seaQuest_."

Lucas just looked across at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

* * *

Ford watched as Bridger tried not pace across the bridge. They were finally only a few miles out from home port. Despite the _seaQuest _cruising at top speed, it had been agonising watching the miles slip by so slowly. While there was a definite sense of anticipation building, the bridge crew were still unusually quiet. Aside from the necessary conversation involved in bringing the vessel into the channel and then into the dock, nobody seemed to have much else to say. There had been plenty of private speculation about Lucas, but nobody wanted to be the one to put their foot in it and say something stupid in front of the captain. He was wound tightly enough already.

O'Neill was sitting with his headphones slung around his neck as he helped the helmsman relay co-ordinates. Suddenly his console lit up and he quickly pulled the headset into place.

"Captain, I have a secure communiqué coming through, marked for you only, Sir. Sender unknown."

Bridger stopped his pacing and turned back towards O'Neill. "Put it through to the wardroom." He nodded towards Ford as he started for the door. "Commander, you have the bridge. I'll be down to the launch bay shortly."

"Aye, Sir."

"This better be good!" he muttered to himself as he stalked out the door. Some people had no sense of timing!

* * *

Lucas sat on the bench, watching as the huge, sleek beast slowly rose up out of the water. He was totally unaware that tears were streaming down his face until the admiral tapped his arm and offered a handkerchief.

"Are you all right, son?"

Noyce sat down on the bench beside him, but carefully kept watch on the _seaQuest_ docking, instead of looking Lucas in the face. He didn't want to add to his embarrassment in any way. It took some time before he got an answer.

"What's wrong with me?"

Noyce looked across at the kid beside him and was reminded again just how young he really was. "You've been through a traumatic experience and I'd imagine you are feeling pretty relieved to see some familiar territory.

Lucas swallowed the lump in his throat, but kept his mouth shut. How could he possibly explain he wasn't relieved? He was terrified! Of what; he had no clue.

The two sat in silence as the _seaQuest_ finally stopped moving. Water glistened on the bio-skin and the sun sparkled patterns along the length of the majestic craft. Lucas knew it would be at least another fifteen minutes before anybody stepped out onto the dock as it was a complex process to de-pressurise such a huge vessel.

* * *

Bridger stared at the black screen. The wardroom was empty, save for him, but it felt crowded. Constricted somehow. In just a few minutes his thoughts had gone from joy to terror. The short clip kept playing over in his mind. While the voice was distorted, he was sure he knew it. He slammed a hand on the desk in frustration. It was there, snapping at the corners of his thoughts, but somehow eluding him.

He _really_ needed to speak to Bill.

Suddenly he registered that they had stopped moving. He had been at sea for so much of his life that he could sense motion, even in the biggest of vessels. The _seaQuest_ had docked already. He quickly typed in a security code to seal the file and raced out to the launch bay.

* * *

As the captain hurried out onto the dock he felt like his chest was going to burst. His first sight of a mop of unruly blonde hair made him pause for a second. Kristin nearly collided with him as he stopped so abruptly.

Lucas caught sight of them and continued to walk down the dock towards the group, with Noyce following along behind him. This was one moment he wouldn't have missed for the whole world.

It was only a short distance, but to Nathan it felt like miles. He shook off whatever had gripped him and began to run. In seconds he reached Lucas and without waiting for permission, grabbed hold of the teen in a bear hug. As he unconsciously clamped a protective hand over the back of his head, he could feel Lucas' whole body trembling in his grasp. In return, Lucas wrapped his arms around the captain's waist and hung on tightly.

_"You're safe."_

So many things ran through Bridger's mind that it all jumbled together and he found he couldn't even get his mouth to open. There was so much to say. So many questions, but nothing came to the surface at that moment. He chose to just savour the feeling of holding onto Lucas. Seeing him and speaking to him on the vidscreen was one thing, but this was so much more important. He had tangible proof that his boy was alive.

Something about that thought didn't seem quite right, but he shoved it aside. He could feel Kristin's arms around the two of them and for the moment, everything else seemed totally right. He could hear people speaking, but nothing about their words was sinking in.

He clung onto Lucas and swore that whoever sent him that vidfile was going to answer, personally, to him!


	8. Chapter 8

**I know I am probably confusing some of you here but it is called "Mind Games" for a reason. Thankyou for taking time to review anyway. Never fear, all will make sense, eventually. I think. My apologies for such a long wait, but I couldn't get Lawrence to behave himself.**

**Chapter Eight**

The cup of coffee was stone cold. He hadn't really been paying attention when the stewardess placed it in front of him and he barely noticed as she removed it. Instead, he stared out the window and watched the miles of ocean skimming away underneath them. The foam caps of the waves were still visible at that altitude and he found his mind wandering to how many months his son had spent beneath them.

It seemed like such a good plan at the time. Placing his son on board such a prestigious vessel opened doors for him that nothing else could. He had always known his son was above the ordinary and expected him to perform accordingly. The _seaQuest_ had seemed such a perfect fit to stretch his horizons and test his talents.

Up until a month ago.

Because a month ago his world had collapsed on his head. Suddenly the straight A record his son could boast about didn't seem so important. The early graduation from Stanford really didn't matter that much. He tugged at his shirtsleeve to check his watch and noted he was still another hour out from Pearl Harbor. He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. For all the times he had fobbed his son off with vague promises that were rarely delivered on, he suddenly found himself counting the minutes and mentally wishing the plane could fly faster.

After all, a month was a long time to wonder where your child was and if he was even still alive.

* * *

"_You haven't always been a bright and shiny UEO example have you, Captain? There are things in your past that you are not so keen to have people know about, aren't there?"_

Flickering images of the GELF labs rolled across the screen and suddenly they blinked out. As he stared at the black screen the digitally distorted voice continued.

"_All supposed heroes have hidden flaws; some more than others. You were prepared to let the UEO go to hell in a handbasket, more than once. You got in the way of a plan for the salvation of the UEO and now you will pay for your sins, Captain. As will others. But first, I want you to know that Lucas has been with me."_

The voice paused, as if allowing that thought to sink in.

"_He got to pay for your sins first. You're a dangerous man to be friends with, aren't you, Captain?"_

Bridger pressed a button to replay the video again. He had already replayed it several times, but each time he tried to glean something more from it. It was so short and the pictures were so grainy that there wasn't much to go on. It was as if the video had been deliberately distorted to taunt him by showing where it was, without giving any more detail.

Noyce had initially leaned forward in his chair to watch the feed the first time, but once it finished he slumped back into it.

"Still no idea who that is?"

The captain just frowned at him. "Nope. I could try to get the voice cleaned up, but can't exactly give this to anybody to do that, now can I, Bill?

"Probably not a great idea. All right then. We need to make a list of anybody who would know about those labs and your connection."

"That's a pretty short list."

Bill smiled for the first time since he had walked into Bridger's quarters. "Well, I guess that makes it easier to narrow down, doesn't it?"

"The concerning part is that half of them are now dead and the other half are all high-ranking UEO people. It seems somebody pretty high up the chain has it in for me." Bridger sat with one hand wrapped tightly over the other fist. He squeezed it angrily. "And that somebody used Lucas to get at me!"

Bridger stood up and reached across his desk to grab at a pen. He pulled a piece of paper out of the drawer and sat down to start his list. Noyce leaned in to see who he had and then added a couple of suggestions of his own.

* * *

Lucas lay back against the wall and fiddled absently with the dials on the vocorder. Darwin stared at him through the glass and he tried to smile. It seemed he was going to have another babysitter for a while at least. His father wasn't due for another hour or so and in the meantime he wasn't sure what to do with himself. The captain had gone off with Noyce somewhere and hadn't come back yet. Ben sat across from him and tossed a baseball back and forth between his hands.

"So, what did the doc have to say?"

"Huh?"

"I asked you, what did Doctor Westphalen say when she checked you out?"

Lucas squirmed uncomfortably on the bed. "Um, basically the same thing the UEO doctor said. Give it time. It'll come back. Blah, blah, blah!"

Ben leaned forward in his chair and held onto the baseball. He examined it as though it was suddenly vitally important. "Has anything come back, anything at all?"

"Nothing!" He slammed the vocorder onto the bed and refused to look back up. "It's so damn frustrating, Ben! I have this gigantic hole in my head and … and nobody seems to know how to fix it. Or if they even can."

"Lucas, I hate platitudes, but maybe … you know … maybe the whole "give it time" thing is true. I dunno. I really wish I could help with that, but I've gotta say, I'm just really glad you're back." Ben stared at him and barely managed to keep the shake out of his voice. "You have no idea how much."

When Lucas didn't answer he pulled the chair closer. "Lucas?"

Finally he looked up again. "I'm not so sure that I am back, Ben."

"Huh?"

"I can't really explain it. I mean … I know this is all real, but … I'm missing something. Something important! It's like I've left something behind." Lucas tried to keep his voice level, but the distress was still clear as he struggled to explain himself. "Like ... there's a piece of me missing!"

Ben leaned in closer. "Lucas, whatever happened, out there, you're home now. And whatever you need, you got it! Do you hear me? Whatever you need."

Before Lucas could respond, Ben reached across and gripped his arms. "_Whatever_ you need." Tears threatened in his eyes and Lucas looked embarrassed by the close attention.

"That's just the problem, Ben. I don't _know_ what I need."

"Then we'll figure it. You. Me. The captain. All of us. We'll figure it out."

Lucas just nodded at him. It was hard to deny Ben's enthusiasm and yet his gut feeling was anything but enthusiastic. Something was very, very wrong with him and as much as he tried to explain it, he had no idea what it was.

* * *

"Wait a minute."

"What?"

Noyce reached out to run the video again.

"_All heroes have hidden flaws; some more than others. You were prepared to let the UEO go to hell in a handbasket, more than once. You got in the …"_

"There!" Noyce jabbed a finger towards the screen. "Letting the UEO go to hell in a handbasket."

"What about it, Bill?"

"Somebody said that to us both. Surely you remember? At the Mondial Resort?"

Bridger stared at him as the memory hit him. "Secretary General Dre! You don't think that she … I mean … Bill, she was still in prison when Lucas went missing."

"Yes, but she also had inside help in escaping. Who knows what else she could have been up to?

Nathan scrubbed a hand across his face. "It's definitely possible."

"And she certainly blamed you for screwing up her plans."

"To take over the world? Yeah, so sorry about that! She wasn't very thrilled about you arresting her either. Or taking her job."

Noyce nodded at him. "I wasn't exactly thrilled about that part either."

Under other circumstances Bridger would have laughed at his friend's reticence. As he was about to respond, the intercom beeped at him.

"Captain, you wanted to be notified when Doctor Wolenczak was due. He should be here in another ten minutes."

Bridger tapped at the comm. "Thankyou, Commander. I'm heading down now."

"You coming?"

Noyce just wearily shook his head. "Judging from some of the things Lawrence has had to say in recent weeks, I think we may need to stick together. However it may be better if we wait until after he has seen his son before I speak with him. "

The captain just nodded as he moved towards the door.

* * *

Lawrence could see the giant silhouette of the _seaQuest_ well before the designated UEO driver pulled into the parking lot across from the dock. It was always an impressive sight, but suddenly it seemed more threatening than he remembered. This place that was supposed to broaden his son's horizons had changed somehow. Instead it had become the catalyst for a nightmare he had never imagined. As he climbed out of the car and thanked the driver, he had already made up his mind that Lucas would be leaving with him, just as soon as he was deemed fit to travel.

* * *

"Lucas?" Ben pocketed his PAL while waiting for a response. "Lucas? Didn't you hear me?"

"What?" The teen shook his head, as if trying to dislodge something.

"Your father is nearly here. Captain Bridger is on his way to get you."

"Um, yeah. Coming."

Before Ben could ask anything further, Lucas jumped up from the bunk and headed out the door. He nearly collided with the captain as he rushed into the corridor. Bridger assumed he was eager to get to his father and kept pace with the teen as he made his way to the docking port. For his part, Lucas was just trying to keep a look of normality on his face because his brain was busy being anything but normal. It felt like somebody had stuffed cotton wool into his head and somehow removed his brain in the process.

It was only a few minutes before Lawrence came striding through the airlock. The captain stood back and watched as Lucas headed towards his father. It was a strange mix of emotions that stirred in his gut as he watched the usually reticent father grab hold of his son and wrap his arms around him. How many times had Lucas wished for that to happen, only to be ignored or pushed aside for more important things?

He watched as Lawrence released his son from his grasp, only to place his hands on either side of his face. As he leaned in closer, nobody but the two of them could hear the exchange, but when Lawrence straightened up, his eyes were bright with unshed tears.

Bridger turned back towards Ben, who was hovering behind him. "Lieutenant, could you bring Doctor Westphalen to meet us in Lucas' quarters?"

"Yes, Sir." He had noted the same thing the captain had as he watched the reunion. Lucas looked exhausted. As he headed off toward medbay he could hear the captain steering the group towards safe territory and he smiled to himself. Bridger never failed to pick up on Lucas' needs.

By the time he arrived with Kristin in tow, he was surprised to hear raised voices. He looked across at her before knocking on the hatch.

"Emotions are running high for all of us. Time to use some of that Krieg charm I think." She might have been smiling as she said it, but Ben picked up the tension in her voice.

"That, I can do!" After so many weeks of knowing what they could _not _do, it was a small comfort to have something that he could do.

As they stepped through into the small room the air was thick with unspoken questions and apparent accusation. Lucas sat on his bed and leaned against the wall. The fatigue on his face was immediately obvious as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Lawrence was sitting next to him and his face reflected the same drained look. It was crystal clear they had interrupted something serious.

Bridger looked across as they entered and gestured towards Kristin. "Perhaps you'd like to speak to Doctor Westphalen before making any kind of decisions."

"Decisions about what?" She looked between the two men and felt the level of concern jump alarmingly.

Lawrence wrapped a hand around Lucas' forearm. "When I sent my son here I thought he would learn. Experience new things. Stretch his boundaries. I never once imagined I could lose him." He paused a moment to catch his breath before he continued on. "It clearly isn't safe here for him anymore."

Nathan listened, but kept his mouth clamped shut. The problem was, he totally agreed.

"_I'm the reason this happened. They came after him because of me!"_

Ben was itching to say something in response about the _seaQuest _being a military vessel so who was he kidding, but managed to restrain himself. Barely. Making decisions about the welfare of a minor was outside of the realm of his responsibilities and as much as he wanted to shout in disagreement, he knew he couldn't. Irritating Lawrence wasn't going to help his argument any. Instead he looked to Bridger to object and was horrified to realise he wasn't going to.

As the silence stretched on, it was Kristin who stepped in. "Actually, removing Lucas from here may be the worst thing for him at the moment."

All eyes were on her as she looked across at a father who was clearly just trying to protect his son. Lawrence shook his head in confusion.

"I don't understand. Why would it matter? I want to take Lucas with me and help restore some normality for him after this … this …" He clenched his fists in front of him as he struggled to define whatever "this" was. The truth was, nobody actually knew what had happened.

"That's exactly my point. At the moment, Lucas cannot remember much, which obviously has us all concerned, but medical research suggests familiar surroundings and regular routine can help restore memory deficit quicker. I understand why you want to leave, but honestly, I believe the best thing you can do for Lucas right now is keep him here."

Ben felt his chest tightening as he waited for Lawrence to respond. He couldn't take Lucas away when they only just got him back. Could he?


	9. Chapter 9

**Thankyou for the kind reviews. For the anonymous one, sorry I can't respond personally. I'm finding Lawrence is my biggest challenge in this story so I'm glad you like him so far.**

**So the plot thickens. Hmmmm …**

**Chapter Nine**

_The darkness was alive._

_It was the only explanation for the way it moved and enveloped him as he tried to run from it._

_So the only options were to run faster or figure out how to kill it._

_His heart was pounding in his chest as he sprinted madly, but the dark entity encircled him and threatened to suffocate him._

Lucas flung out an arm and threw the blanket onto the floor. He wrenched at his t-shirt and ripped it as he desperately tried to get free. His mind was churning as it slowly registered he was lying in his bunk. The sheet beneath him was soaked in sweat and he pushed himself off the bed and into the openness of the room. As rational thought began to seep into his brain, his heart refused to co-operate and he could feel it still thumping wildly in his chest. The subsiding adrenaline rush made him feel dizzy and he almost tripped over his own feet.

By forcing himself to breathe through his nose he began to regain control over his panicked mind and he dropped onto the floor.

"Is this ever going to stop?"

There was nobody there to answer his question, but his mind was already filling in the response. Every night since he returned to the _seaQuest_ had produced the same dream. Or nightmare! The same one where he woke up terrified out of his mind with no idea why. The feeling of being restrained and suffocating was the one thing he knew for sure. It was the whole, not knowing part, that filled him with dread.

He was working on the theory that if he could just remember what had happened, he could force the nightmare to stop. The problem was, as each day passed, he was less sure if he really wanted to remember. Maybe it was just better to put it behind him and get on with life. While he was mulling that over and working on getting his breathing under control, he missed the knocking on the hatch.

He jumped as a hand touched his shoulder and he pushed himself sideways, away from its grasp.

"Easy, Kiddo. Take it easy."

Lucas looked up to see the captain eyeing him with concern. He was crouched down on his knees and he slowly reached out a hand towards the frightened teen and patted his shoulder.

"Another nightmare?"

When Lucas didn't answer immediately he tentatively touched the side of his face.

"Lucas?"

It was almost as if he had flipped a switch. Lucas pushed himself up off the floor and stepped backwards. "I'm fine! Just … I need … I'm …"

Bridger could see he was anything but fine, but he chose to nod in agreement anyway. "OK. I just came to let you know we are meeting in the wardroom in half an hour and I figured you would want to be there."

In an effort to shake off the residue of the nightmare, Lucas nodded enthusiastically. "I'll be there. Just let me get dressed."

The captain glanced down at his torn shirt and sweat pants. "Yeah. All right then." He reached across and patted Lucas on the shoulder before moving towards the door. "I'll see you down there shortly."

As he heard the hatch click shut he walked over towards the bunk and dropped onto it.

"_He is going to die."_

The random thought slammed into him as if he had been physically hit. The darkness crowded at the edge of his mind again and he desperately tried to push it away. He rushed to pull on some clothes before bolting out of the room.

* * *

Bridger sat at the wardroom table and rubbed at his temples. Years of training and military experience meant he could deal with many challenges. A human enemy he could try to outwit. A ship aiming torpedoes at him could be evaded. An undefined and immeasurable threat was a whole other ballgame. He sighed as he realised again that he had no idea how to help Lucas because he had no idea what he was battling.

The fact he had walked in on the aftermath of yet another nightmare was obvious. If only he could find some way to help Lucas to overcome them. They may have retrieved him physically, but it seemed a whole chunk of his personality was still missing. The spark had gone out of him and it had been replaced with uncharacteristic fear.

It was only a few minutes before he heard the door opening and he looked up to see Ford, followed closely by Hitchcock. As they each took a seat at the table, more of his senior crew filed into the room. Conversations seemed to falter as each of them read the captain's mood and they sat waiting for the rest of them to arrive.

A moment later Lawrence entered the room with Kristin and he glanced around awkwardly. Bridger stood up and gestured towards a vacant chair.

Lucas was the last to arrive, but when he did it seemed as though he had been running. Bridger smiled slightly as he thought about how many times Lucas had arrived late for meetings because he was caught up in something more important. The smile quickly faded as he remembered the reason Lucas looked so harried this morning. It was clear the nightmare had rattled him and the captain watched as he grabbed for a chair next to his father and slid into it. Lawrence reached out a hand and patted his shoulder, but Lucas barely noticed.

Bridger looked across at Kristin and he could see his own concern reflected on her face. He decided that it was time to get started and maybe put the focus on other aspects for a while which might give Lucas time to relax.

"Thankyou for coming down so promptly. I know this was unscheduled, but we have a lot to discuss."

Before he could go any further there was a knock at the door. Bridger walked over to open it and an ensign walked in with trays of food.

"Just set it over there." He pointed to the table and several people shifted back to allow him to drop the platters in the middle.

"I've asked the mess to send down some food as we could be here a while. There is coffee on the way too."

Kristin smiled to herself. There was only one person who needed the breakfast delivered and she couldn't think of a better way to get him to eat some of it.

As the coffee pots arrived, the captain sat back down at the table and pressed the remote for the vidscreen. An image of a dark-haired man, around 40 years of age flickered onto the screen.

"I had a call from one of the UEO investigators last night. Once Lucas remembered being in the hotel foyer he gave us a possible ID for who we were looking for from the hotel and they think they have a lead."

All eyes were on him as this was the first ray of hope they had so far. All eyes except for Lucas, he noted.

"_He is going to die."_

Lucas flinched as the thought slithered its way through his mind. Lawrence reacted immediately and reached out a calming hand. Bridger had also noticed, but misread it too as though Lucas was remembering the encounter at the hotel.

"_He is going to die."_

Lucas refused to look up and give the thought any credence and instead stared at the coffee mug in front of him.

"Lieutenant, I want you and Lucas to look over the information the UEO office is sending through. They've been trawling through local video footage from CCTV cameras in the area and I think the two of you can help refine the search."

"Yes, Sir." O'Neill nodded enthusiastically. All of them were eager to get to the bottom of things and he was relieved to finally have something useful to do. He looked over towards Lucas and was surprised to see he didn't look so interested. Instead he looked … well … he just looked scared.

Bridger reached over and flicked off the image on the screen as it seemed to be bothering Lucas. He was acutely aware that asking Lucas to run the video footage could expose him to further distress. Ultimately he had come to the conclusion that one way he could help the teenager regain some control over his life was to be actively involved in finding those responsible for his abduction. By empowering a victim, it often helped them move past the sense of being helpless. At least he hoped it was going to help in this case.

Lawrence was watching his son closely and he looked over towards Bridger. "I'd like to give them a hand with that search."

Lucas still hadn't reacted and Bridger nodded in agreement. "Good idea."

"On another front, the police have got a possible witness with regards to the Stinger. It seems it was taken from the dock and loaded onto a truck, the same day Lucas tried to check into the hotel. The police had canvassed the area with no leads until yesterday. An employee went on leave the following day and somehow missed being questioned, but when he returned, his colleagues filled him in. He only came forward yesterday with the information so the local police are following up that lead. Commander, I'd like you and Crocker to head down there and see what else you can get from him. Let's find out who took it and why it ended up in New Cape Quest."

Ford nodded. "Yes, Sir." It felt good to have something of substance to work on again after so many dead ends.

"All right then. We need to …" He was cut off by the intercom beeping at him. "Bridger, here."

"Captain, I've got Secretary General Noyce on the line for you."

"Put him through."

The vidscreen flickered briefly with the familiar UEO symbol before Noyce appeared on the large screen.

"Nathan. I know I'm interrupting, but I've got some news for you." He glanced around the room and noted who was there. "I'm sorry, but it's classified."

Bridger leaned over towards Lawrence, who was already aware of what was coming. "I'm sorry, but I need the two of you to step out." He looked up towards O'Neill as he was speaking. "Lieutenant, perhaps now is the time to get started on that video review."

O'Neill was reluctant to leave as the UEO obviously had something further to add, but he knew the captain's suggestion wasn't a suggestion. He stood up and pushed his chair in as Lawrence glared at him. Clearly he wanted to be in on the conversation too, but knew he couldn't.

"Doctor, we can use your help."

Lucas hadn't moved and Lawrence nudged him to get his attention. He stood up as if in a daze and his father steered him towards the door, followed closely by O'Neill. Tim looked back over his shoulder as Noyce sat waiting for them to leave. Somebody would have to fill him in later.

As the door closed, Noyce looked directly at Nathan. "We were right. I had the voice analysed and unfortunately we were right."

Bridger pushed out from the table and walked around closer to the screen. "You had it analysed? By who? Bill, that information was meant to be …"

"Don't worry, Nathan. I only gave them select bits. Nothing they shouldn't have."

The captain looked skeptical, but at least now they had something solid to work with.

Ford looked across at Hitchcock and she just frowned at him. Obviously neither of them had any idea what Noyce was talking about. Bridger turned back towards the table and sighed.

"We know who took Lucas."

The room was silent as each one of them stared at him expectantly.

"The other day, before Lucas got here, I got a vidfile sent to me anonymously, taking credit for his abduction. It was distorted, but we thought we knew who it was. It's now been confirmed that it was Andrea Dre."

"The former secretary general?"

Bridger looked across at his XO and nodded.

"But she was still in prison when he went missing."

"Yes, she was."

Noyce chipped in from behind him. "We've had UEO investigators on her tail and we picked up a prison guard last week who confirmed he not only helped her escape, but was instrumental in relaying information in and out of the prison for her. She was most definitely the one behind it and then the vidfile confirmed it. She boasted about it to the captain."

"But why?" Kristin stared at the screen while noting the slump of Nathan's shoulders. _"He already knows!"_

"Pretty simple really. Payback!" The venom in his voice was clear. "We got in the way of her plans and this was payback."

Ben shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he took that in. He'd like to be dishing out some payback!

Ford was watching the captain's face and could see he was holding something back. In fact, he looked somehow guilty. "Captain … what else?"

Bridger looked at him and realised he should have known. Jonathan never missed much.

"She blames me. So she used Lucas to get at me!"

"_There's more." _ Ford decided he would wait until he had the captain alone to pursue that, but he knew that there was more.

"So why did she give him back?" Ben looked around the table and could see his question registering with the others. "That doesn't make any sense."

"No, Lieutenant, it doesn't. That's why we need to dig up every shred of anything that we can, to put the pieces together. Until we know the whole truth, I'm not sure how we help Lucas get past this."

"Any clues yet on where she took him? I mean it might help us figure out what they did and why he can't remember." Kristin looked hopeful at the thought she may get some help.

Bridger looked up at the screen and a strange look passed between them. It was Noyce who answered. "We are still working on that."

Jonathan noted the exchange and it just cemented things for him. Bridger was definitely hiding something.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks once again for the kind reviews. I love hearing your feedback and thoughts. I didn't think Lawrence could run off too quickly, but he isn't going to make things easy either. And Darwin? Yep, we all love Darwin. Never fear, he's still around, but I'm not quite there yet. **

**Chapter Ten**

"Are you coming?" Katie paused near the doorway.

"Not just yet." Ford watched as the last of the senior crew filed out of the wardroom. "I have something I still need to do."

Katie glanced across at the captain and nodded before heading out the door.

Bridger sat at the table and waited for Ford to close the door. "You still have questions, don't you?" It wasn't so much a question as a statement.

"Yes, Sir. I do."

"Sit down, Commander. I'm not sure I can give you all the answers you are looking for though."

"Captain, I …" he faltered at where to begin. It was clear Bridger knew more than he was letting on, but he had no idea why the captain would hide anything that could help Lucas to recover.

Bridger sat and waited without comment.

"Captain, it seemed to me that you and Noyce know something about where Lucas was taken."

When he didn't get an answer he decided to push on anyway. "If so, why would you keep that a secret? As Doctor Westphalen said, that information could help them figure out what happened to Lucas and how to help him."

A look of pain flickered across Bridger's face before he finally nodded. "There are some things here that are highly classified."

"With all due respect, Sir … that doesn't cut it for an answer. I know you. And I know what Lucas means to you. You were ready to resign to go and find him."

Bridger stared at the table in front of him and sucked in a deep breath, but still didn't answer.

"Captain? You'd move heaven and earth for that kid. I don't understand."

"It isn't always that simple, Jonathan. There are other factors at play here that I am not at liberty to discuss. What I can tell you is that I won't rest until we get "that kid" back. " When he finally turned to look at Ford, his eyes betrayed his thoughts. "Completely."

"How do we do that, Sir?"

"Well, let's start with helping him feel safe again. He clearly isn't sleeping well, but seems to be having nightmares every night. He's jumpy. Wary of everyone. And just to add to the fun, Lawrence still wants to remove him from the _seaQuest._"

Ford had heard the same thing from Krieg and knew that the doctor had managed to veto it on medical grounds, but that was only going to last for so long. Lawrence was not a man who displayed great patience and so far there were no results to speak of.

"Until he recovers? … Or permanently?"

The look on the captain's face answered his question for him.

* * *

Tim watched as Lucas slipped into what could only be described as "the zone". Flipping effortlessly between three computers and typing in fluent codes was second nature to the teen. It was almost comforting to see something of the old Lucas coming out as they continued the search through various video feeds. Facial recognition software made the search much easier as they now had a face to work with.

Lawrence toyed with a photo of the man they were looking for. He stood behind his son and watched in amazement as he multi-tasked over all three machines. As much as he had been aware of his son's abilities for years, it had been a while since he actually saw them in action. Too long, in fact; he realised.

Tim pulled his glasses off and rubbed at his eyes. Concentrating intently on a computer screen always took its toll. So far they had only covered about a quarter of the hotel's security feeds on the day Lucas arrived there, starting with the most obvious ones. The dark-haired man had either come in through an obscure entry point or kept his face well out of the range of any cameras, because he was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly Lucas stopped typing and stared at the screen. "Well that explains a few things!"

"What?" Tim swiveled his chair around to see what had his attention while Lawrence leaned in closer.

"There!" Lucas jabbed a finger at the screen. "It's been doctored."

"At the risk of sounding stupid, how can you tell? It looks perfectly real to me." Lawrence stared at the screen and frowned.

Tim barely managed to stop himself from smiling. "It is real. It's just that the computer code doesn't run simultaneously with the images so it's been added into the recording at some point. This is a cut and paste job."

"And not a particularly good one," Lucas noted. "I'm guessing they didn't expect anybody to come looking this closely."

"Well they didn't count on _you_ being here looking this closely." Tim gulped as he realised the implication of his words. "Not that I meant that … not that …"

"It's all right, Tim. I know what you meant."

Lawrence just glared at the young officer in front of him as Tim tried to cover his embarrassment at his slip up.

Lucas began typing again and another camera feed appeared on the screen.

"What are you doing now?" Lawrence looked back to what his son was up to.

Lucas chewed at his lip and didn't answer immediately. He continued to type before another two feeds appeared on the other screens.

"Well … if they went to the trouble of blocking that feed with a fake one, they had to be hiding something, right? So I picked up the feeds from the three nearest cameras to see if we could find anything of use." He drummed his fingers on the desk as he watched and explained, but suddenly he sat bolt upright.

"Gotcha!" Lucas slammed a hand down on the desk and leaned in to the screen. "Right there! That's the guy. He came up to me in the foyer."

Lawrence slid into the chair next to him. "What else do you remember?"

Lucas stared at the image of the dark-haired man frozen on the screen. The facial recognition software continued to tick away in the background as it scanned the incoming footage. He knew that he had spoken to the man, but the memory of anything further would not shake loose. It was as if his mind had clamped closed again and the elusive memory was locked on the other side. He chewed at his lip, but nothing even vaguely useful came to mind. He closed his eyes and tried to force something to come.

"_He is going to die."_

Lucas recoiled as the terrifying thought bit him again and he blinked rapidly to try to clear it.

_No! _

"Well?" Lawrence nudged his arm.

"Nothing!"

"Come on Lucas, you already remembered the hotel, so what else do you remember?"

Lucas spun around to glare at his father. "I said, nothing! Do you think I'm making this stuff up? I can't remember!"

He pushed his chair away from the desk and stomped towards the door.

Lawrence sprang up, but Lucas turned on him. "I can't remember! My brain is fried! And maybe it's never coming back!"

Before either of them could respond, he had stormed out the door. Tim would have gone after him under normal circumstances, but this wasn't normal. The teenager's father was standing just across from him with a strange look on his face.

"What was that all about?" Lawrence looked flustered at Lucas' outburst. For a man who always seemed so confident, he suddenly seemed deflated.

"Ahh … maybe he feels like we are pushing him too hard?"

"You mean, maybe I am pushing him too hard!"

"No! No, it's just that … well … he is still a long way from being back to normal."

Lawrence glared at him. "Don't you think I know that? I know my own son, Lieutenant!"

Tim was debating where to go with the conversation when he noticed something on the far computer. The software had picked up a match. "Ah, Doctor. Take a look at that."

"What?"

"There's our guy again." As Tim pointed to the screen they both watched as a dark-haired stranger walked Lucas into the hotel's lift and out of sight of the camera.

* * *

"Captain … there's one more thing."

Bridger looked across at Ford and inwardly cringed. He hating keeping secrets from his senior officers so he hoped that Ford wasn't going to ask him anything further he had to lie about.

"Don't you think it's a little too co-incidental, that after a month with absolutely no information or leads, we get two in less than twenty four hours?"

The captain slowly nodded at him. "Yeah. The thought had crossed my mind."

Ford smiled a little. At least the captain was still on the same wavelength, even if he was acting strangely.

"Well, one came from something Lucas remembered, so I guess there is no way to predict how that will pan out, but something about the other one bothers me. As soon as we start asking questions about this guy on the video, we suddenly get a separate, random lead on the Stinger. From a guy who somehow got overlooked by the police!"

Bridger just stared at him, but Ford could almost see the cogs turning. "Given how intense the UEO scrutiny was on this case, I can't believe they could be that sloppy."

"Me either, Sir. Something doesn't sit right."

"Agreed. Jonathan, get down to that dock and find out every last thing our witness knows. Meanwhile I want a background check run from here. Who is he and where has he been for the last month? I'll contact Noyce and find out how he slipped through the net at their end."

Ford stood up and began to move towards the door. Suddenly he stopped and turned back towards the captain.

"Sir … ahh … if there is anything that …"

Bridger held up a hand and nodded. "Commander, it's all right. You are just going to have to trust me here that I will fill you in, as and if, I can."

As much as he wanted to argue, there was nothing he could say other than, "Yes, Sir."

* * *

Ben tapped at the clipboard in his hand and realised he had left the corresponding paperwork in his quarters. It was a simple issue to follow up later, but he glanced around the loading dock and noted how quiet it was. Since the _seaQuest_ was currently docked, there was much less activity in some areas than normal.

"Might as well finish it now, I guess," he muttered to himself. He called out to the ensign at the computer terminal to say he'd be back soon and headed out into the corridor. Moments later he was surprised to see Lucas rushing towards him. The look on his face seemed to be a mixture of anger and fear.

"Hey. What's happening?"

Lucas made to sidestep him, but Ben moved into his path.

"Lucas? What's wrong?"

"My father! He thinks I'm a liar!" The fury on his face was obvious.

"What? Come on. I'm sure he didn't say that."

"_At least, I hope he didn't!"_

Lucas glared at him, but clamped his mouth shut in that way that Ben knew, meant he was serious.

"Wanna tell me what happened?"

"Not really!"

Ben tapped at his clipboard. "I'm just on my way to my quarters. Why don't you walk with me?"

"Ben, I don't need babysitting."

"Never said you did. But you are pretty wound up about something."

"_He is going to die." _

Ben watched as Lucas seemed to wilt in front of him. The bluster from only a moment earlier had dissipated and he sagged against the wall. The calm water of the aquatube behind him seemed a stark contrast to the turmoil on his face.

"Lucas, are you feeling all right?" Ben reached out a hand to steady him, but Lucas shrugged it off.

"Yes!" He started to move away before he paused. "No! … Oh hell, I don't know!"

"_He is going to die."_

Lucas shrank back against the wall and closed his eyes. He flinched as Ben clamped a hand on his shoulder, but he refused to open his eyes. His mind seemed to run away from him as he tried to reel in that devastating thought.

"No!"

"No, what?"

Ben watched as Lucas tried desperately to calm his breathing. "Lucas? No, what?"

Finally Lucas opened his eyes.

"Ben." He barely breathed the single word and it seemed he couldn't get any more out.

Ben looped an arm around his shoulders and steered him down the corridor. He could feel the tremor of tightly wound tension under his arm. He didn't say anything further until he reached his quarters and opened the door.

"Come on. Time for you to tell me what's really going on."

Lucas stepped into the room and almost fell into a chair. Ben closed the door as he debated what to do. Lucas looked like he needed a doctor. But he also looked like he needed a friend.

Friend won the moment, but he secretly checked his pocket for his PAL just in case he needed to make a call to medbay. He pulled another chair over in front of the teenager and looked him over closely. Fear was clearly written all over his face and dark circles under his eyes betrayed his lack of sleep. It was no secret among his friends that Lucas was suffering from nightmares, but so far they hadn't revealed much.

"Lucas. What was that all about?"

Ben knew just how stubborn his young friend could be and he silently hoped that now was not the time he would live up to his reputation. He waited and watched as Lucas fidgeted in the chair.

"Come on, buddy. What's going on?"

"Ben, what's wrong with me? Why can't I remember anything?"

"Well … I dunno about that. But it seemed to me that back there in the corridor, you did remember something. And it rattled you."

Lucas had stopped fidgeting and he stared at the floor, but Ben could see he'd hit the mark.

"Lucas? If you tell me what it was, then maybe I can help."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's not real! It can't be!" He rubbed the palms of his hands into his eyes in frustration. "I'm losing my mind, Ben."

Lucas seemed to shrink back from him as something intangible grabbed hold of him.

Ben reached out and placed both of his hands on Lucas' shoulders. "What isn't real?"

Tears began to run down his face as Lucas stared back at him. "I remember seeing the captain die!"


	11. Chapter 11

**I think by the end of this you may just have your answers. Or maybe I have created more questions again. That's one of the fun parts of writing for me. Thanks so much for so many reviews this last couple of days. I'm glad you are enjoying the story.**

**Chapter Eleven**

Ford and Crocker subtly exchanged a look. They had worked together long enough to understand each other without having to say anything. The man's story simply did not add up. As to why he would be lying; that was yet to be established.

Crocker glanced around the small office again as Ford wrapped up the conversation. It was pretty basic with just the essentials in the way of furniture and other items. A small electric urn sat off to one side with a disorganised stack of assorted chipped and dirty mugs next to it. A jar of cheap coffee and a bag of sugar with a spoon stuck in it were the only other things there. Workplace comforts were nowhere in sight and he figured that most of them only stopped long enough to make a long, black brew before heading back outside. The one desk had a sloppy stack of folders on one side and a tin of assorted pens. Definitely not the most professional looking place.

He had no idea why this back end dock would have any bearing on what seemed to be shaping up as a top end conspiracy. It had come to light that Lucas had been directed there from the main dock when he first arrived, but nobody could verify why. The possibility that it was due to the lack of cameras in the area was their current working theory. He noted that Ford was done and he turned towards the doorway to follow him out.

"Well, thank you for your time, Mr Hennessy and if you think of anything else, please be sure to let us know."

The supervisor shook hands with Ford and nodded. "Will do."

Crocker waited until they were outside and out of earshot before he said anything. "He's lying."

"Clearly. The question is: why?" As they climbed back into their vehicle, Ford looked back towards the dock. "That was really strange."

"Has Bridger gotten anything else out of the UEO?"

"Not that I know of, but I guess we'll find out soon enough. Let's get back to the _seaQuest_ and see where to next."

Hennessy waited until he saw the UEO transport drive off before he dialed up the vidlink. The number connected and he only had to wait a minute before a face appeared on the screen.

"They were just here."

"And did you give them the information we told you to?"

"Yes. Word for word."

"Excellent. Your money will be in your account by tonight."

Before he could answer, the screen went blank again.

"Whatever!" he muttered to himself.

Andrea Dre punched the button to end the call and sat back in her chair. A slow, chilling smile spread across her face.

"Goodbye, dear captain. Goodbye Lucas. Oh, and last, but not least; goodbye Admiral!"

Across the room from her, a dark-haired man smiled also. It seemed the plan really had come together, just as she had told them it would. One thing was certain; it really didn't pay to cross the woman.

* * *

Ben sat back in the chair and debated whether or not to call medbay. Lucas lay sprawled out on the bunk in Ben's quarters and seemed to be asleep. His revelation about his so-called memory of Bridger's death was clearly false, but that didn't mean it should be simply dismissed.

He stared at the very young face before him. It had taken some time to calm him down, but once he had, Lucas just seemed to crumple in front of his eyes. It was as though all that had been keeping him going had evaporated with his tears. Bridger had said that Lucas wasn't sleeping well and that had been pretty obvious to all of them. As Ben sat there on sentry duty he was startled out of his thoughts when his PAL beeped.

"Krieg here." He tried not to speak too loudly and wake up his sleeping guest, but Lucas never so much as stirred.

"Ben, do you have any idea where Lucas might be?"

"He's in my quarters."

He could almost feel the relief in Tim's voice as he responded. "Is he … ah … is he all right?"

"He's asleep."

"OK, thanks. I'll let his father know."

Ben scowled at the mention of Lawrence. After all, it was Lucas butting heads with Lawrence in the first place that had led to this.

"Sure."

He pushed his PAL back into his pocket and went back to watching.

"Don't worry, I've got your back," he whispered across the space between them.

Finally he decided he really needed to let the captain in on what had happened, but he didn't want to wake Lucas. He stood up and reached into a storage locker to pull out a blanket. As he leaned over to drape it over Lucas, he noted the tension in his face. It seemed that even in sleep, his mind wouldn't relax. He felt the anger creeping up his whole being as he remembered afresh that somebody had deliberately done this.

"Somehow we are going to make this right. I promise!"

He quietly slipped out the door and pulled out his PAL to find out where Bridger was.

* * *

Jake sat hunched down in the front seat of the Jeep and checked his external camera feed. For the last three days he had staked out various sites with no success, but this one had definite activity happening. For a supposedly abandoned work site, there was a little too much traffic coming and going.

He had speculated that their ex-prison guard was going to play it stupid by trying to bargain with the UEO, but finally he had given them something useful.

Maybe.

* * *

The air in the wardroom seemed to have thinned since they had first walked in. The captain tugged at his collar and tried to reign in his impatience.

"Nathan, you have to see this from my point of view. My son is not coping with what has happened to him. He blew a fuse before when I asked a simple question and he stormed out. I eventually found he was with Lieutenant Krieg, but I'm not so sure staying here is the best thing for him." Lawrence held up a hand to stave off objections as he noted Kristin's face and hurried on.

"Doctor, I heard what you've had to say about familiar surroundings, but that isn't everything is it? I mean, some trauma victims take longer to recover when they are still in the environment where their trauma occurred. Don't they?"

Bridger opened his mouth to object, but Kristin beat him to it. "Actually, nothing traumatic has happened to Lucas aboard the _seaQuest._"

Lawrence stared at her as he knew she was right, but he wasn't prepared to concede defeat so easily. "No, but this wouldn't have happened if he wasn't here to start with."

Bridger felt his stomach churning as he absorbed that comment, as part of him almost agreed with it. "Well, we don't know that. What we do know is that Lucas was lured off the _seaQuest_ by somebody claiming to be you. Somebody clever enough to pull off a fake that fooled a computer genius. That's a pretty tall order."

Lawrence bristled at the comment, but clamped his jaw shut. What he hadn't admitted to anybody was the guilty thought that if he were in contact more regularly, Lucas would not have been taken in by the ruse. There was just no way he was going to share that with Bridger or anybody else.

The captain curled his hands against the back of the chair and tried not to drum his fingers. He didn't really want to share his frustration, but he also knew he had no say in Lawrence's decision-making as a parent.

He was almost relieved when his PAL beeped at him, as it gave him an excuse to turn his back on the man.

"Bridger here."

"Captain, I need to speak with you as soon as possible." The combination of hesitancy and urgency in Krieg's voice was difficult to define, but Bridger was under no illusions what was causing it.

"Lieutenant, I'm in the middle of something at the moment."

"Sorry, Sir, but it's important."

"Does this relate to my son?" Lawrence stood up from the table and walked round to where Bridger was standing. "Nathan?"

Ben could hear the question from his end and he kicked himself for not thinking before speaking. This was something he wanted to share with the captain first.

Bridger gripped his PAL and tried not to glare at the man. After all, it was a totally reasonable question.

"Lieutenant, does this involve Lucas?"

Ben scrunched up a fist as he realised he had nowhere to go, but tell the truth.

"Ahh, yes, Sir. Something has just come to light that I think you should know about."

"Then meet us in the wardroom."

"Yes, Sir. On my way."

It was a good thing Bridger couldn't see his face as he headed their way, as he was furious with himself.

* * *

_It was a part of the seaQuest he didn't often have reason to visit, but no part of the gigantic vessel was unknown to him. In the time he had been aboard he had spent many hours studying the schematics and knew the layout by memory. Bridger really had designed a magnificent creation._

_The few people he passed, smiled and nodded at him, but he kept focused on the task at hand. It was very simple really. Bypass the security for the small arms locker. It was something he could do in his sleep. _

_He smiled to himself as he considered that thought. _

_It was just happening in his sleep._

_A dream._

_It was nice to see his nightmares finally giving way to dreams. He rolled over onto his side and pulled the blanket up a little tighter._

* * *

Ben looked from the captain to Lawrence and quickly sized up the situation. Kristin sat at the table and appeared to be the face of calm, but he knew her well enough to know where she was at on the inside. The captain couldn't look that agitated without her being affected too.

He wished again that he hadn't called the captain on his PAL, but it was too late for that. Lawrence stared at him expectantly and he knew he had no choice but to explain.

Bridger tried to defuse the tension a little by sliding into a chair and motioning for Ben to follow suit.

"Lieutenant, what's happening?"

Lawrence reluctantly dropped into a chair and waited. He was irritated as Krieg faced Bridger and began to answer. After all, it was his son's welfare they were discussing.

"Captain, Lucas had a pretty distressing episode earlier." Ben tried not to look across at Lawrence, but he knew he was being watched. "He was worked up and when I finally got him to tell me what was going on, he had a concerning response."

"Concerning, how?" Kristin had already switched into doctor mode and was waiting intently for his answer.

Ben glanced around the table before looking back towards Bridger. "Captain, he claimed to remember something."

What should have been cause for relief was clearly not the case; otherwise he wouldn't have been so hesitant to share it.

"He said that he remembers seeing you die."

"What?" Lawrence couldn't contain his irritation at such blatant nonsense. "Well clearly that's not true, so why would he get so "worked up" as you described?"

"_Because that would be his worst nightmare, you moron!" _Ben barely managed to keep his thought to himself.

"Where is he now, Lieutenant?" The concern on the captain's face only served to contrast with Lawrence's irritation.

"He fell asleep in my quarters. He's pretty wrecked."

Kristin leaned over towards him and smiled. "Then let's leave him to rest. He is still not back up to speed and he needs time to recover. If he fell asleep there it means he feels safe there. We can discuss this with him later when he is better rested."

Ben nodded back at her, grateful once again that she could assess the situation with authority and clarity.

Lawrence seemed at a loss as to what to do. If he objected, he appeared heartless, which wasn't his intention. The problem was, he felt that decisions about his own son were being taken out of his hands and he wasn't a man who was used to being told what to do.

* * *

Ben pushed open the door to his quarters and was surprised to find that Lucas was no longer asleep on his bed. It had seemed from his exhausted state that he would have slept for hours. The blanket he had draped over his friend was lying folded up at the foot of the bed.

"Since when did you get so neat?" he mumbled to himself. He pulled out his PAL to see if anybody had any idea where Lucas was. Finally somebody reported having seen him near his quarters.

* * *

Nathan leaned against the desk and listened as Ford and Crocker filled him in on their fact-finding mission. Such as it was. Not a whole lot of facts had come to light except the fact that the dock manager was lying. The one good thing to come out was that he had confirmed seeing Lucas there with the Stinger. A small piece of the puzzle maybe, but still, it was a piece.

"All right, Commander. I think we need to run that last bit past Lucas and see if it jogs anything for him. Krieg said Lucas was in his quarters last I spoke to him."

It only took a few minutes for the three of them to make it there, but Bridger's mind was ticking over as he walked. None of this made any sense at all. He knocked lightly on the hatch and was surprised at how quickly it opened. The kid standing on the other side looked the most rested he had seen him since he returned to the _seaQuest._

"Captain. What can I do for you?"

"May we come in?"

"Sure." Lucas stepped back and allowed the three of them to enter. Something about his demeanour felt a little too chirpy for the captain, especially after how Krieg had described him earlier. He pushed that thought aside for the moment and chose to focus on the question at hand.

"Lucas, Commander Ford has just returned from the dock where you apparently left the Stinger. He had a strange conversation with the dock manager who says that you told him you were there on a secret mission and he needed to hide the Stinger for you." Bridger watched carefully for any kind of reaction and got exactly what he expected.

Lucas screwed up his face in confusion. "What? Captain … that's … that's just ridiculous! Why would he say that?"

Ford stood with his arms crossed, as though assessing the idea. "Yeah, it is ridiculous, but he was adamant that's what happened."

"Do you remember anything about going there? Any ideas at all?" Bridger hated to be constantly asking the same question, but it was also necessary. Something very strange was going on.

"Nope! No idea."

"All right then. We'll leave you to it. I'm heading up to the bridge for a while if you think of anything."

"Sure." Lucas frowned as he watched the group head towards the door. "I'll let you know."

* * *

The clam doors stood ajar as the _seaQuest_ was in friendly waters and nothing vital was happening that required them to be closed. Lucas stood in the corridor and watched people going about their routine. The captain leaned over a chart with Ortiz and they both laughed at a comment from Ford. Ortiz grinned as he nodded vigorously.

"_He won't be laughing in a minute."_

Lucas reached into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the weapon he had hidden there. It had been far too simple to remove it from a storage locker and erase all record of its existence. Nobody would be looking for it since it had never been there and nobody would find footage of him being there as he had wiped that too. It really was far too easy to override security on the flagship of the fleet!

_It's time._

The words were absolutely crystal clear in his mind. He had no doubt what he had to do and how to do it. He had been assigned a secret mission and now was the time to put the plan into action.

Nathan Bridger was about to die.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello again. Sorry to have left you for too long with a slight cliffhanger, but it wasn't my fault. Honest! One day I'm going to have a sane life. Anyway it took me too long to get this where I was happy with it. I hope you enjoy it and as always, I appreciate hearing what you think.**

**Chapter Twelve**

Ford stepped back and leaned against the railing. Ortiz could always be counted on to bring a little humour to lighten any difficult situation. As he watched the captain laughing, Jonathan realised it had been far too long since he'd heard that sound. As the stress of the last month had worn on and ground him down, it had left him uncharacteristically pessimistic. While he had tried to maintain an outwardly positive attitude to keep his crew motivated, Jonathan knew just how difficult that had become, as each day wore on with no news.

As he watched the man laughing, he shuddered at how close they had come to losing him. The apparent safe return of Lucas had ensured their captain also stayed put, but Ford couldn't shake the feeling that something still did not add up. Why would the dock manager make up such a ridiculous story about Lucas claiming to be on a secret mission? And more importantly, why did his captors just let him go? Or did they? That thought had nagged at him every day. Had he actually really escaped? If so, then why couldn't he remember anything useful?

As he chewed over those questions he noted that Bridger's laugh had faded. His more sober captain's face settled and Ford determined that he would get to the bottom of it all. There had to be logical answers out there somewhere.

* * *

As Lucas stood and observed the bridge, images began to flood into his mind. Horrific images that sucked the very breath out of his lungs. The scene before him faded under the blood-soaked imagery running rampant through his head. Somewhere in there his mind registered that he knew the people, but that was as far as he could get. It was almost as if his mind had gone into self-preservation mode and refused to acknowledge what it was seeing.

"Make it stop!" he whispered to himself.

_There is only one way to make it stop._

His mind cruelly filled in the response for him. He shied away from it, as he knew, deep down, what that meant. Get rid of the one who was responsible for it.

"No!" Lucas challenged the thought, but immediately paid the price as fire slammed into him without warning. His whole body was burning and he could feel the nerves stretched to their limit. He wanted to scream, but nothing came out. It was as though his mind and his body were in separate places because his body seemed to be on auto-pilot.

_You know what to do._

The voice wasn't his, but he didn't know whose it was. He tried to pull away in his mind, but there was nowhere to run. He felt as though some foreign entity was inside his head and every nook and cranny was exposed and vulnerable. There was simply nowhere to run.

_Do it! Shoot him!_

The voice screamed in his head so loudly it felt like his brain rattled. Without any idea of how it happened, he found himself almost next to the communications console. The captain stood talking to Ford and Ortiz and Lucas moved up silently behind them. Without hesitation, he reached into his pocket, pulled out the gun, raised it and pointed it directly at the back of Bridger's head.

Motion erupted around him as crew members reacted with surprise and horror. He could hear shouting, but the words did not register. The only words that mattered were the ones drilling through to his very core.

_Shoot him! _

O'Neill looked up from the console in time to see the unbelievable unfolding before his eyes. He unconsciously rubbed at his eyes beneath his glasses, but the hallucination did not fade in the slightest. Instead, if anything, it got worse.

Several crew members had rushed towards Lucas and Ford was almost within an arm's length as Bridger spun around. The look on his face was blatant shock as he faced off with a teenager he didn't recognise.

"Lucas? What are you doing?"

The words came out with authority in spite of the situation, but inside, the captain was shaken. Never would he have expected to see the look of pure hatred he now saw plastered across Lucas' face. Even during the worst of his "parental debates" with the kid he had never seen Lucas react in such a way. He slowly raised a hand towards Ford.

'"Commander, stand down."

Ford was almost close enough to grab at Lucas and he hesitated slightly at the captain's order.

"Sir?"

"It's all right." Bridger never took his eyes off Lucas as he addressed the rest of his bridge crew. "Take it easy, people." He sucked in a slow breath to try to steady himself. "That includes you too, Lucas."

_Shoot him!  
_

The words rampaged through his mind and he felt as though they were literally boring their way through his head in their rage to escape.

_Shoot him!_

"Shut up!" Lucas desperately tried to make the command go away. To push it out of his head; but it just burrowed in deeper.

Bridger tried to make eye contact, but as he looked, what he found, rattled him even further. There was no indication that the Lucas he knew was even there. Instead it seemed like a bad sci-fi movie where the person had been replaced with a robot. There was no flicker of light or even recognition in the eyes that stared back at him. What he could see though, was pain. The intensity of it scared him.

"_What the hell have they done to you?" _Even as that thought was registering, his brain was scrambling for ideas. Somewhere out of the depths of past training came the thought to keep it personal. Focus attention back on the person and not the weapon.

"Lucas, it's me. Captain Bridger."

"I know who you are!"

It was all the captain could do to stop from shaking his head at that point at the coldness in the voice.

"_Then what are you doing?" _Lucas' behaviour was so out of character, but he wasn't ready to directly challenge him yet. He tried another tack instead.

"Lucas … I don't know what's going on, but do you think you could point that thing a little lower? Like, maybe at the floor?"

As if to reinforce his point, Lucas took a step forward, but his aim never wavered from Bridger's head.

_Shoot him!_

The voice was beyond screaming now. It had reached a point where it physically hurt, as if his brain was being squeezed from inside his skull. Lucas flinched slightly and Bridger glanced across at Ford. He had seen it too, but had not moved any closer to the teen.

As if reading his thoughts, Lucas continued to stare at Bridger while addressing Ford.

"Get away from me!" he growled. "Or I will just shoot him now!"

"I'm going. Just take it easy, Lucas." The normally unflappable commander slowly took a step back with both hands raised in front of him. It took all of his self-control to stop them from shaking. Was Lucas _really_ going to shoot the captain?

As he stepped back, he noticed movement across the bridge and saw that Krieg had arrived with Lawrence in tow. The man looked totally confused as he took in the scene before him. He began to step towards his son, but Ben pulled him back. Lawrence shrugged off his hand, but didn't move any closer. From his viewpoint he couldn't see Lucas' face, but he could see those around him and they completely unnerved him.

"What on earth is going on?" Lawrence looked back at Ben who looked equally confused. Instead of responding, Ben just stared at the scene with his mind running a mile a minute. He was desperately looking for solutions, but couldn't see anything that could help. That gun was just way too close to Bridger.

Lucas hadn't moved and the gun was still trained squarely on Bridger's face.

_Shoot him!_

"No!" The single word came out through tensely gritted teeth. Sweat dripped down the side of his face and he absently wiped at it with his hand. The gun wavered slightly in his other hand, but it never left its target.

The voice had reached a fever pitch in his mind as it screamed at him. The pain had somehow liquefied and it traced its way through his entire body. He knew there were only two ways to make it stop. Pulling the trigger held out the promise of instant relief.

The alternative option would also bring an end. It wasn't the plan, but they had laughed about it anyway. He wasn't sure who "they" were, but he just knew that they were the ones pulling the strings. He felt like a puppet with somebody else yanking his strings. What happened if he cut the strings? A puppet without strings was useless.

Dead.

Yes, the alternative would bring an end.

An end to everything.

As he watched the man standing in front of him, another image seemed to overlay the first. The same man lay sprawled on the ground with blood pouring from his head. The image both revolted him and yet somehow brought a sense of relief. He could feel his heart pounding harder in his chest as he sucked in a sharp breath.

_You can end the pain. Shoot him!_

Lucas scowled in confusion. This had all happened already. He could see himself raising the weapon, aiming and pulling the trigger in one smooth motion. As he did so, the fire in his body subsided. As the man before him died, so did the pain. Except that it hadn't just happened once. It had happened over and over and over. Each time that he hesitated to shoot, the pain amped up higher. The only thing that ever stopped it was death. The captain's death.

"No!" Again the single word barely came out in a strangled sob. Something else clambered for his attention as he stared down the barrel. Death might bring release from this pain, but it would only bring more pain with it.

His mind seemed to switch gears without his permission.

"_Unless death comes to somebody else."_

Bridger had been watching Lucas' face intently and could see the struggle going on for control. He just had no idea what Lucas was struggling against. The fact that Dre had done something to mess with his mind was obvious, but he had no clue how to break the deadlock.

He could see rivulets of sweat running down Lucas' face and his forehead was creased in intense concentration. It seemed that Lucas was listening to somebody, but there was nobody there.

_Shoot him! He deserves to die!_

"No … he … doesn't!" The effort involved in getting the words out was too much. Bridger could see the teenager was struggling to breathe, but he wasn't sure what he had said.

"Make … it … stop."

"Make what stop, Lucas?" Ford was closer and could just make out the words through the laboured breathing.

Lucas ignored him, so he tried again.

"Lucas, we can help make it stop. Just tell us how." He hesitantly slid a foot forward and hoped that Lucas hadn't noticed. When he got no response, he very carefully slid his back foot closer.

_They don't know anything._

The cruel voice laughed in his head as the liquid fire ripped down his spine again.

"_Stop!" _Lucas' mind recoiled as he remembered how many times he had screamed that word with no response. Except that he also recalled how his mouth refused to work and he hadn't really screamed anything. Darkness played at the edge of his vision and he was tempted to just surrender to it. Maybe the darkness would kill the unbelievable pounding in his head.

_You can make it stop._

_Shoot him!_

Bridger and Ford exchanged a glance as both of them had seen the same thing. Lucas had dropped the pulse weapon slightly, but it was still aimed too closely at the captain for either of them to move. With a finger still wrapped around the trigger it was still way too close. His hands were shaking, but that was no encouragement if he took a shot at point blank range.

"No!" It was the most forceful word Lucas had spoken since the whole crazy scenario began. Bridger was relieved to see that Lucas lifted the weapon's aim away from him, but that relief was quickly overridden by horror. He unconsciously took a step forward as Lucas lifted the muzzle towards his own head.

"It will stop!"

He would never know if it was a conscious decision or a gut reaction, but Ford simply launched himself at Lucas. He slammed himself against the teenager and used his body weight to trap one arm against the railing while he grabbed at his other arm. Ford tried desperately to force his aim higher. He was surprised at the strength of the kid's resistance as he tried to pry his fingers loose from the weapon. The world seemed to drop into slow motion as the muzzle of the gun momentarily loomed in front of his face. He reached behind Lucas to force him backwards against the railing and renewed his grasp over the weapon. He managed to force it downwards, but not quickly enough. His mind registered an energy blast before his body did and he flinched away from it. The next thing he saw was blood streaming down Lucas' face as searing pain ripped into him.

Bridger had also rushed forward, but the sound of the discharge stopped him in his tracks. Ford had his arms wrapped around Lucas as the teenager seemed to crumple against his chest. He staggered backwards slightly, dragging Lucas with him.

The weapon dropped onto the floor and the captain noted the clenched hand that had held it was now hanging limply behind him. It seemed the only reason Lucas was still upright was because Ford was holding onto him.

"God, no!"

As Bridger reached out, his XO seemed to sway on his feet. Ortiz appeared from behind him and helped to support him. Ford gently lowered Lucas to the floor and those who were close enough, could see blood on both of them. Ford was on his knees, but once he released his hold on Lucas, he slid sideways. Ortiz grabbed at him and leaned him against the nearest console. The smell of seared flesh was sickening, but he pushed aside the nausea and reached out towards Ford.

"Commander, can you hear me?" He was already yanking at his shirt as he spoke. He quickly rolled it into a ball and pushed it up against Ford's chest. "Commander?" He watched with alarm as he just slumped over.

Behind him, Bridger had Lucas' face cradled in his hands. Blood was still streaming from his nose and the teenager hadn't responded to anything or anyone.

* * *

**Sorry if you don't like cliffhangers. Not really :-)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Welcome back. Thankyou for all the reviews and comments. Yes, I am trying to drive you all nuts with cliffhangers! Not really, but sometimes that's just the best place to break the flow. I promise the conclusion is coming. Just as soon as I catch up on sleep.**

**Chapter Thirteen**

The burning radiated through his chest and up his arm. He could hear Ortiz beside him, but despite his best attempt, he just could not force his eyes open again. The inside of his head was spinning wildly and he knew if he opened his eyes the outside would be doing the same thing. Ford had never been seasick once in his life and yet he was positive it felt something like this. His stomach was threatening a revolt and he felt his body sliding uncontrollably sideways. It was surreal to wonder why he couldn't stop it. He felt hands holding him steady and he surrendered to them as they seemed to know what they were doing.

Somewhere nearby he could hear the captain's voice.

"C'mon Lucas, you can't quit on me now. You hear me?"

Ortiz had a firm grip on his makeshift dressing and he had no idea if the commander could still hear him or not. He had heard that unconscious people could still hear so decided he'd go with that anyway. Even if it was just wishful thinking, he didn't care.

"Commander, it's OK. The doc's here now. He's gonna get you all sorted."

Ford tried to respond, but he just couldn't muster the energy. He felt hands prodding at him and the intensity of the burning went through the roof. As he finally let go of consciousness he could still hear Miguel's voice telling him something about pretty nurses.

Ortiz stood up to get out of the way of the medteam. He had held tight to the wad of fabric that didn't seem to be doing much to staunch the blood. It seemed like forever before Doctor Levin had appeared at his side and gently eased his hands away. He noted the pain reflex as Ford pulled away from the doctor's prodding. Just as quickly, he saw the man's body slump into unconsciousness.

* * *

"_You lose." _

The words floated through the darkness. He had no idea who had lost what, but the dull roar in his head quickly faded into oblivion. He could feel the hardness of the floor pressing into his back and firm hands held his face. His mind felt like it was melting away, but he felt safe. For the first time in days he felt safe. Whatever had been haunting his every step was dead. The darkness closed in and he stopped fighting it.

Ben crouched down beside the captain, who held Lucas' face between his hands. He kept up a running stream of dialogue. Not that the teen could hear any of it, he was pretty sure, but that wasn't going to deter him.

"C'mon Lucas, you can't quit on me now. You hear me?"

He wanted to shake him and make him wake up, as if he were just simply sleeping, but the stream of blood smeared down his face made a lie of that. It was obvious that Lucas had been in a great deal of pain prior to his collapse. Bridger had never felt so helpless as he looked up at Ben. Lawrence hovered behind him, but the captain chose to ignore him. He was beyond caring about protocols or manners or anything else other than the kid he held in his hands.

"Don't you quit on me!" he whispered desperately. He felt a hand on his shoulder and was about to shrug it off until he realised it was Kristin. He reluctantly released his grip and moved aside for her.

She quickly moved in and began assessing her patient. Looking across to one of the medics she had brought with her, she began issuing directions. "Get the OR ready for us." Kristin looked up, searching for Tim in the crowd around them. "Lieutenant, get onto Mercy General and get me Doctor Evans. He's a neurosurgeon and we need him here immediately."

Tim scurried for his headset and was making the call in seconds. "Doctor, what do I tell him?"

Without looking up, Kristin called back. "Tell him I have a patient with a possible brain haemorrhage and I need his assessment. He has a blown left pupil."

"Yes, ma'am." Tim swallowed down his fear as he waited for the hospital to connect.

It was an efficient process for the medics to load their patient onto a gurney and Bridger felt numb as he followed them to medbay. A brain haemorrhage! No wonder there was so much blood.

* * *

Nathan paced across his quarters. Noyce sat at his desk and watched on the screen in front of him as his friend walked out his agitation. The captain had waited in medbay until the neurosurgeon arrived from the hospital under UEO escort and he watched as they finally wheeled Lucas into surgery. Lawrence had barely spoken to anybody and sat slumped in a chair. Nathan just couldn't muster the energy to care about him for the moment. Instead, he needed answers. The kind of information that he could only get from a high level source.

"Just what the hell did they do to him?" He finally stopped pacing and stared at Noyce. The fury in his words was almost physical.

"I'm working on that, Nathan. I'm calling in sealed files, but it takes time."

The captain clenched a fist and shook it in frustration. "That damn place!" Guilt rose up in his chest at the thought he could have any connection to what had been done to Lucas. "I should have burned it to the ground!"

"Nathan, you were not the one making decisions back then. This is not your fault."

Bridger just glared at the screen. "Yeah! Sure it isn't!"

"Nathan, you …"

"Damn it, Bill! Don't!" He held up a hand to check the response. "Just don't!"

Noyce leaned back in his chair and scrubbed a hand across his jaw. He was shocked to hear the details of what had happened in the last few hours. Never in his wildest imagination could he have thought that Lucas could hurt Nathan, let alone try to kill him.

Nathan resumed his pacing as it was the only way he could burn off his anger without smashing something. Kristin had diagnosed a possible brain haemorrhage and he knew enough to know what that could mean. What may have caused it was still up for debate.

Suddenly his train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the hatch. He stared at the door before barking out, "Come in."

Ben pushed the door open and was surprised to see the admiral on the vidscreen. "Ah, sorry to interrupt, Sir, but Doctor Levin wanted you to know that Commander Ford is out of the OR." As he looked at the captain's face he hurried to reassure him. "He say's he's going to be fine."

Nathan nodded with relief. One piece of good news. "Thankyou. Any news from Kristin?" He knew it was probably too soon, but he had to ask anyway.

"Not yet."

The captain just nodded at him before turning back towards the screen. "I'm going to check on Jonathan, but you call me as soon as you have anything. We need to know exactly what they did to him, Bill." He paused near the door before adding a final challenge. "And how to undo it!"

Noyce looked between the two of them and saw the same thing. Both of them needed the kid in the OR to come out in one piece. "I'm working on it, Nathan. Trust me, we'll get to the bottom of it."

He wasn't sure if Bridger had heard his final comment as they were already out the door. He stared at the empty room for a moment before severing the vidlink.

"I'm working on it."

* * *

Levin knew the captain wouldn't be far away. As he waited for him to show up, he checked out his patient's vitals again. Blood pressure was still a bit low, but as the transfusion did its job he knew that would improve. He looked up as the captain arrived with Krieg in tow.

"Captain."

Bridger noted that Ford was not yet conscious, but he hadn't really expected him to be yet. An IV drip hung from the wall and a couple of monitors displayed a constant stream of information. A swathe of fresh bandage peeked out from under the top of the sheet.

"Joshua, how's he doing?"

"He's very lucky. He's lost a lot of blood, but we've managed to top him back up. He's got a pretty nasty hole in his chest, but thankfully it missed anything vital. Like a lung!"

Bridger almost smiled at the rather basic explanation and lack of medical terminology. He wasn't sure if it was a deliberate attempt to ease his mind, but whatever the case, it seemed to help a little. He didn't know if Ford would classify himself as lucky when he woke up, but the key was, he would wake up. There had been a moment there on the bridge when that hadn't looked certain at all.

"How long 'til he wakes up?"

Levin shrugged his shoulders slightly. "When he's ready. Like I said, he's lost a lot of blood. That knocks anybody around. Right now, he needs to rest and his body will decide when it's ready."

Bridger nodded at him. "Any news on Lucas yet?"

"I'm sorry. Not yet."

Just like the rest of the crew, Levin was used to seeing his captain in control, but right now he looked decidedly rattled. The doctor wasn't sure if it would help to leave him alone or to get his mind off things. Eventually he decided the captain was a man of science who thought things through and it may help if he could process through some of what had happened. Talking seemed to be the better option. There had been discussion in the OR as they worked on Ford, but it was just speculation. Nobody could really get a grasp on what had actually happened.

He decided to test the waters with a simple question first. "Did either of you hear Lucas say anything that might give us a clue about what happened?"

Ben shook his head. "I was too far away to hear anything." He looked across at the captain who also shook his head.

"Ford was talking to him, but I couldn't make it out. I do know that Lucas knew who I was."

Levin stared at him as that piece of information sunk in. The speculation had been that Lucas was unaware of what he was doing. Intentionally trying to shoot the captain certainly raised more questions.

"Did he appear calm … like he was in control? Or agitated? … Like … as though he were under duress?"

"What are you suggesting?" Bridger's mind had been ticking over with the same questions since the whole nightmare erupted.

"Well, did he seem to know what he was doing and was calm about it … or did he seemed distressed as though he was doing something he didn't want to do?"

Bridger rubbed a hand through his hair as he recalled the look of hatred on Lucas' face. "It was definitely out of character. He was calm to start with."

Levin nudged him a little further. "To start with? Then what changed?"

The captain closed his eyes as if he could blot out the face in front of him. Lucas had looked at him in a way that would haunt him for a long time. Pure hatred.

"He seemed to be listening to something that we couldn't hear. Like he was being given instructions."

"To shoot you?" It was a statement more than a question, but Bridger nodded anyway.

"He was most definitely after me."

Ben had seen only part of the exchange on the bridge, but he had seen the moment when Lucas lifted the gun towards himself.

"Captain, what happened to make Lucas try to shoot himself instead?"

Levin stared at him, as he hadn't heard that part yet. He just knew that Ford had tackled the kid and gotten shot in the process. He had assumed it was an attempt to save the captain.

Bridger winced as he recalled the split second where he realised Lucas was going to shoot himself. He had seen Ford lunge at him as he had also rushed forward. The fear in his gut was reflected on Lucas' face. The hatred had gone, only to be replaced by something worse. It would be days before he would allow himself to analyse that moment any further.

"He was fighting it. I don't know what was going on inside his head, but he was in pain. He was fighting it." The flat tone of his voice made Ben and Joshua exchange a concerned glance.

A croaky voice interjected behind them. "He said, 'You lose'."

All three turned around at the sound of Ford's voice. He was barely awake and the drugs were threatening to pull him back under. Bridger knew it was sheer stubbornness that was keeping him conscious.

"Jonathan!" Bridger grinned at him. "Good to see you awake."

"Lucas?" The name came out in a whisper, as though he were afraid to speak it any louder.

"He's still in the OR."

Ford looked confused. "Why?"

Levin stepped in at that point as he moved back into doctor mode. "You need to rest, Commander. We'll talk about Lucas later when he's back out."

He noted the raised heart rate on the monitor, but was pleased to see the blood pressure was beginning to normalise. He looked back towards the two other men and nodded towards the door. "My patient needs some rest for a while."

Bridger nodded at him as he patted Ford's arm. There would be time for thankyous later. "Just one question. What did Lucas say to you?"

"You lose."

Bridger scowled at the comment, as it made no sense. The only person who could explain that for him was Lucas himself.

"All right, Jonathan. Take it easy. Get some rest and we'll be back soon."

Ford had already succumbed to the cocktail in his drip feed and his eyes had drooped closed again.

The captain stood upright and tugged at his uniform. "I guess I need to go and see Lawrence."


	14. Chapter 14

**I think I need a few more hours per day and then I might get this story done. If only! Anyway we'll get there soon I hope. Thanks to everybody who is reading and enjoying.**

**Chapter Fourteen**

It had taken a couple of days, but patience was something Jake had in abundance. It was one of the reasons he had been so successful over the years. He didn't skip past small things and he could wait out anybody if he knew there was a chance he would make a breakthrough. Sitting on a stakeout for hour upon hour got incredibly boring, but he had invented all sorts of ways to keep himself focused. Imagining the client's face when he clinched things was always a bonus. There was something extremely satisfying about solving what others could not.

The fact this was such a high priority case also added to the satisfaction, but it wasn't the driving factor. Being assigned the task of hunting down the UEO's number one absconded prisoner and her accomplices was an indicator of how highly he was thought of as an investigator. Then Noyce had filled him in along the way that they had also abducted a teenager. At that point the case got extra attention. One of his earliest cases involved an abducted teenager and he'd been too slow to find the girl alive. By the time they found her body there were precious few clues to go on. Of his few unsolved cases, that one grated the hardest.

He tugged at the earpiece in his right ear. It was one part of the job he never got used to, but it was a very useful tool. Too useful to toss aside over his own discomfort. He could hear the chatter as the various officers got into place. They were only going to get one chance at this and it was imperative that there were no gaps for anybody to bolt through.

* * *

Nathan wasn't often lost for words, but suddenly he found there was nothing to say. His mind clamoured for answers, but there was simply nothing there. He didn't know. He looked across at Lawrence and tried to put himself in the other man's shoes. His son was in surgery and he had no idea why.

"I'm sorry, Lawrence. I really don't know."

"You don't know why my son was waving a gun in your face?"

Nathan swallowed and shook his head. "We are still working on it." Even as the words came out of his mouth he knew how lame they sounded. Just as lame as Bill's assurance had sounded to him.

"Sure." Lawrence got up and began to walk across the room. There wasn't much space for him to get any further away, but he kept his back turned to the captain.

As Bridger stared at his back he could feel the anger rippling off the man. _"Can't really blame him, I guess."_

He leaned back against the chair and sighed. Eventually Lawrence made his way back to the chair he had vacated, but he pointedly refused to look at Nathan.

* * *

"Time to move in." Such a simple phrase. Not such a simple thing to do. The officers that had surrounded the building began moving forward in a cohesive unit. Jake had his weapon drawn and as always, he prayed he wouldn't have to use it.

He heard shouting from the far side of the building and three shots fired off in rapid succession.

"_Our side or theirs?" _he wondered.

A flurry of activity erupted as somebody came running towards him. Another person quickly followed and several officers appeared from his right. He fired a warning shot over his head as the first person skidded to a halt.

"It's not a good day to die."

The man looked like he was weighing that up as he scanned for possible escape routes.

"Nowhere to go!" Jake held up one hand at the man while aiming at him with the other hand. "Hold up!"

* * *

Kristin pulled at her scrubs and dumped the overshirt in the bin. As much as she wanted to hurry out and let everyone know what was happening, she didn't want to walk out in bloodied scrubs. It was never a good look and certainly did nothing to allay fears. She reached for the tap and flicked cool water onto her face. Behind her, Martin Evans was finishing up his own quick rinse off. He wiped a towel over his face and turned towards her.

"Ready?"

She just nodded at him as they both headed for the door. She wanted to fill them in, but she also hesitated. This was the dilemma that all surgeons face when dealing with loved ones. How much information do you give out?

As the two of them walked out into the medbay they could see a small crowd had gathered. Nobody was talking and Kristin noted how strained things looked between Nathan and Lawrence. She pushed that aside, as she didn't have the energy to deal with it just yet. Nathan saw her coming and rushed towards her. Lawrence pushed himself off the seat and hurried over as well. Beside her, Evans clamped a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You did good!" he whispered towards her.

Kristin looked at the two men in front of her and saw the same thing on both of their faces.

Fear.

"Lucas is in recovery. We are still monitoring his vitals, but we believe the surgery went well. We both …"

"What's wrong with him?" Lawrence jumped in before she could say anything further.

Kristin noted the waver in his voice. "As I suspected, he had a brain haemorrhage. Doctor Evans here repaired the damage and he is …"

"I know what you said before you took him in there! I mean, what caused it? A healthy, young teenager doesn't just go crazy and nearly drop dead! What is wrong with him?"

Lawrence glared at her. He knew he wasn't being given all the information and he almost dared her to try to keep him in the dark any longer.

Bridger watched her face as she struggled to answer his questions. She didn't know much more herself, but she knew that he did.

"I'm sorry Lawrence, we simply don't know yet. When Lucas wakes up, hopefully he can give us some answers."

The angry glare she received in response didn't really surprise her.

"Can I at least see him?"

Kristin nodded at him, but raised a hand of caution. "We still have him under sedation which means observation and the need to monitor him closely for a while yet."

She gestured towards the door and Lawrence began to follow her. Doctor Evans stepped aside to allow Bridger to follow behind them. He noted the rest of the officers clustered together seemed eager to follow as well, but guessed they knew medbay protocols well enough not to. Too many people in the room were only going to cause problems managing their patient's needs and he knew Kristin would have chased them all out. He shot a look of sympathy at them as they clearly all cared about his young patient.

Finally one of the officers stepped over towards him and held out a hand. "Thank you. For whatever you did to help save Lucas, thank you."

Evans held out his hand and shook it. "You're welcome. But you do understand he isn't out of the woods yet?"

"I know. But a couple of hours ago I thought he was dead. You've at least given him a fighting chance."

Evans noted the man's voice as he spoke and the emotion that was just below the surface.

"Look, I don't really know what's going on here. I just got called in for an emergency surgical consult. Doctor Westphalen gave me a few details in theatre, but we were pretty busy trying to contain the bleed. Just like his father said, a young, healthy kid doesn't just haemorrhage for no reason. Do any of you have any ideas what happened to him? Because I've never seen anything like it."

Ben frowned at the question. "Not really. We are still working on some information that might help, but … it's complicated." He tugged at the back of his hair in frustration and the doctor got the distinct impression he knew more than he was letting on.

* * *

Nathan barely held back as he got his first glimpse of Lucas. He had always looked pale, but under a swathe of white bandage, he looked completely washed out. The usually animated face with its cheeky grin appeared lifeless against the pillow. A monitor beside the bed pumped out a stream of neurological information and the captain was relieved to see a steady stream of brainwaves. He wasn't sure what normal brain activity looked like, but there appeared to be some steady activity at least.

After his earlier confrontation with Lawrence the captain stood to one side and allowed a stressed father to reconnect with his son. Lawrence approached the bed with hesitation. Eventually he held out a hand to touch Lucas' hand and he tentatively wrapped his fingers around his son's. Bridger desperately wanted to reach out and grasp hold of those hands himself. To reassure himself that there was still life there. The lasting image he held in his mind was Lucas' hand hanging limply, having dropped his weapon on the floor. As he had grabbed at Lucas as Ford struggled to hold him, those hands didn't respond.

Lawrence was talking quietly as he hunched over the bed. Even though he couldn't make out the words, Nathan had a fair idea what he was saying. The same things he wanted to be saying. Except he had no right to be saying them.

As he watched, a wave of guilt slammed into him. The GELF labs were such a despicable part of the UEO'S history and he was tainted by them. No matter how he looked at it, he had a part to play in what had been done to Lucas. He had no right to be trying to do anything, other than find out how to undo what had been done and try to set things right for him. If that was even possible.

Kristin watched as Nathan turned and walked out of the medbay. She was shocked at his behaviour, but before she could do anything she found Lawrence wanted her attention. It shouldn't have surprised her, that as a man of science, he wanted to know details of what each piece of equipment did and exactly why Lucas needed it. Instead she found it irritating that she had to stop and attend to the man when she really wanted to be chasing another man out the door and ask him just what, exactly, he thought he was doing. Something about Nathan's demeanor really bothered her, but even more so was the fact he hadn't stayed to see Lucas. She had seen the anguish on his face when she first arrived on the bridge. For that heart-stopping moment when she thought Lucas was dead. So why had he run off so quickly now that Lucas was out of the OR?

* * *

Nathan arrived in his quarters with no recollection of actually getting there. As he closed the hatch behind him he wanted to pound his fists against it. He clenched them together and deliberately turned away from the door. The bile rising up his throat threatened to make him sick and he began to pace across the room. That seemed to be becoming a habit lately and he stopped in front of his desk. Something about the orderliness of it was the tipping point for his fury and he slammed a hand across the surface. As each of the neatly placed items flew off the desk he felt a momentary satisfaction. The room suddenly reflected his own inner turmoil instead of the fake, orderly appearance he was expected to keep up. He picked up a book off the floor, stared at it momentarily and then flung it with all his might against the far wall. He let loose with a roar of frustration and anger before dropping onto a chair.

Thoughts crowded into his mind as he sat with his head in his hands. An insistent beeping tried to break through his thoughts, but his mind ignored it. Finally a loud knocking on the hatch kicked him out of his stupor. Somebody was at the door and calling his name. He dragged himself off the chair and staggered over to open the door. For some reason his legs felt like lead weights.

Miguel had been certain that the captain was in his quarters as there was nowhere else he was likely to be, but after knocking repeatedly and calling the captain's PAL and getting no response, he suddenly wasn't so sure. He was about to head back for the bridge when the hatch swung open. Bridger looked … well … he looked kind of unaware of his surroundings and Miguel wondered if he should call medbay.

"Ah, Captain, there's a priority call for you from the Secretary General. We weren't sure if you were in medbay and we've been trying to …"

"It's all right. Put him through here." Bridger closed the door in his face and Miguel took a step back. The captain's uncharacteristic response made him hesitate briefly, but he quickly pulled out his PAL and directed the call be put through. As he was about to head back for the bridge he decided he would make a quick detour via medbay and let Doctor Westphalen in on what he had just seen. She could make the call on what to do, but his gut feeling was that the captain needed some attention.

Bridger walked back into his quarters and nearly stood on the things scattered across his floor. Before he could pick them up, his vidscreen came to life with the UEO symbol. As Bill's face appeared on the screen he walked around and leaned on the front of his desk. Their last conversation had left him extremely frustrated and he had no energy left to deal with another one. Something about his friend's face made him sit up and take notice however.

"Nathan, we've taken five people into custody about an hour ago. There's still no sign of Andrea, but we are closing in on her."

Bill scanned his friend's face for any kind of reaction and was concerned at the blank look he got back. Something was decidedly wrong.

"Nathan?" Suddenly a thought gripped him and he hesitated to ask. "Is … is everything all right with … I mean ... how is the surgery going?"

Suddenly the news he had may not be of any help at all. He held his breath as he waited for Nathan to respond.

"Lucas is out of surgery. The neurosurgeon and Kristin both said it went well. So I guess we just wait and see what's left of his mind when he wakes up."

The bitterness in his voice was unmistakeable, but Noyce knew his friend well enough to know there was something more there. Guilt. What he had to share wasn't going to help allay that at all, but he decided he still needed to pass on the information.

"Nathan, one of the people we pulled in has tried to make an immunity deal and offered up some information. We have a fair idea of what they did to Lucas."

Bridger stared at him and he could feel the man's anguish through the screen.

"_This isn't your fault, Nathan."_

"What … did they … do?" The question came out in fragments; almost as if he didn't quite want the answer.

Noyce sucked in a breath before answering. The details made him sick to his stomach. "Have you ever heard of Tarraci Conditioning?"

The look of horror on Bridger's face confirmed that he had. "Oh, God … no!"

"Doctor Alfredo Tarraci worked in the GELF labs for three years."

Nathan slumped into the chair by the desk, shaking his head in denial of what he was hearing. He was unaware that Kristin had entered the room until she placed a hand on his shoulder. She had obviously heard enough, as she responded to Noyce's last comment.

"You have him in custody? That man's a monster!"

Bridger looked ashen as he stared at the screen, waiting for Bill's response. "He had Lucas?"

"It looks that way. We are still working on him for more information."

"Tarraci Conditioning! He used it to beat GELFs into submission. To override their basic genetic programming as soldiers. From what I saw of the bits of video logs from his time there, he enjoyed his work!"

Suddenly another thought occurred to him and he looked desperately at Kristin. "He had a fail safe! If the subject failed to follow through, then they … they died!"

Finally some of the pieces were beginning to fall into place.

"That would certainly explain the brain haemorrhage. When Lucas refused to do what he had been programmed to, that was the consequence. If we hadn't gotten Martin in so quickly I don't think he would have survived it."

Noyce felt his heart pounding in his chest as he contemplated what the doctor had described. "How in the world did Lucas manage to fight it? That kind of conditioning was used on genetically engineered soldiers!"

Kristin reached for Nathan's hand before she answered. "I think they underestimated how much he loves you. It's not something people like Tarraci usually factor in to things."

Nathan just stared at the floor as her words sunk in. He was totally responsible for what Lucas had suffered!


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the slow updates, but I am trying to get them up as quickly as possible. Thankyou as always for reviews and PMs. Great to know what you think. It's Father's Day here so this seemed kind of fitting. Happy Father's Day to all our awesome dads.  
**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Noyce stood on the far side of the one-way partition and tried to hold his temper in check. The man sitting on the other side was one of the coolest people he had ever seen under pressure. As the detectives walked out into the hallway he could hear their frustration which matched his own.

Alfredo Tarraci.

The fact that his name was indelibly linked to a form of mind control was enough to make Noyce sick to his stomach. Practising his evil craft on GELFs was despicable, but on a child was just beyond his comprehension. As he approached the two detectives he could feel their anger radiating off them and he completely understood why. The man they had been interviewing had been as cold as ice. They didn't know much about his background, but they knew he had been responsible for traumatising an abducted teenager. They also knew he was linked to the prison break of Andrea Dre. Noyce hated the cloak and dagger stuff that always accompanied highly classified information, but he hadn't been able to just whisk Tarraci away to UEO facilities without drawing attention to things that were best kept covered.

The taller of the two men noticed Noyce first and started over towards him.

"He's not gonna make this easy."

"I didn't expect he would. But he's our best chance to bring in Andrea Dre."

Noyce looked at the two men and mentally debated how much he could safely discuss with them. Finally he decided that he didn't have much choice if he wanted Dre in custody any time soon. He couldn't bear the thought that she could somehow escape their net.

"I need to see your recording of your interviews so far."

"Sure."

As the Secretary General was led off into another room, he quickly checked his watch. Edmonds was overdue on their agreed check in.

* * *

The darkness had swallowed all sound.

And emotion.

And pain.

The darkness had once been a place of great fear, but now it was a place of calm. All pain and fear had disappeared. So long as he stayed below the surface.

"_You lose."_

The voice had taunted him in the dark.

Terrorised him.

Controlled him.

Before.

But not now.

The voice had lost. The moment he made the choice to die, the voice had lost. The captain would live because he had chosen to die. It wasn't an easy choice because the self-preservation instinct is so strong, but in the end he still made the choice.

The darkness was the place where he had retreated to after he died.

* * *

Lawrence rubbed at the back of his neck and tried to loosen the stiffness in the muscle. He had sat for hours on end and waited. Kristin had tried her best to reassure him, but he wasn't totally convinced yet that they were telling him everything. He knew that Bridger was holding back and it infuriated him that the man had the audacity to do so. After all, he was Lucas' father and he should have been told everything, up front!

Bridger had come and gone several times through the day and into the night. Lawrence had barely acknowledged him each time. He had watched as the captain sat next to his son and held his hand. His mind burned as he heard the one-sided conversation. The pleas for Lucas to wake up.

His anger re-ignited each time he looked at the captain. After all, he was responsible for what had happened to his son. He was supposed to protect him. He had no right to be sitting there by his son's hospital bed and talking to him.

* * *

The air felt like he could cut it with a knife. Lawrence had barely left the room since they had brought Lucas out of theatre and Bridger had tried to speak with him several times. It was obvious that Lawrence held him responsible. The captain couldn't really blame him. After all, he agreed with him. It was entirely his fault that Lucas had been caught in the trap set to punish him.

It was a fine balancing act. What he desperately wanted to do was shake Lucas until he woke up and cart him off to the moonpool to visit Darwin. His dolphin had been less than impressed at the lengthy absence of his friend.

What he knew he could do, was sit patiently and wait. Each time he walked in he felt the same level of helplessness rising up again. As he sat down by the bed he noted the monitors and watched the numbers rolling out. A steady heartbeat. A regular brainwave. To all appearances, Lucas was simply sleeping. Each time he reached out for the lifeless hand tucked under the covers and he wrapped his hand around it. He squeezed Lucas' fingers and rubbed at his knuckles and tried to transfer something of himself across the divide.

"C'mon, Kiddo. Come on back to us," he whispered. He scanned the face in front of him and prayed for a glimmer of life. His fears kept reminding him that the odds were pretty high that Lucas' brain had been irreparably damaged. That he was never coming back. Without stopping to think about it, he reached out and brushed the hair back from Lucas' face. He suddenly realised that Lawrence was watching him again and he almost pulled his hand back. Finally he realised that he didn't care what the man thought any more. He needed to let Lucas know he was there for him and he gently ran a thumb down the side of the face he knew so well.

"Come back … please."

* * *

"Kristin, I think he's waking up again." The vitals on the monitor had all jumped, which often accompanied a return to consciousness.

Levin moved around the bed and watched as his patient finally opened his eyes again.

"Welcome back, Commander." He smiled as Ford blinked at the brightness of the room. Normal pupil response was always a good sign. "You're still in medbay and you're going to be fine."

It was the fifth time he had had this same conversation, but it was the first time that his patient seemed to be really hearing him.

Ford licked at his lips. He seemed to be assessing his surroundings before he tried to shift in the bed. He grimaced as his body reacted to the movement, but he continued to try to sit up.

Levin reached out a hand and held onto his shoulder. "Take it easy there. Easy now."

"Doctor's orders." Kristin smiled as she entered the room and saw Joshua trying to restrain him without causing any further pain.

"Water." The word wasn't much more than a whisper.

Levin reached across for a jug of water and poured a small glass. As he dropped a straw into the glass he suppressed a smile. Ford was already trying to sit up again.

"No problem." He reached out with the glass and turned the straw so Ford could take a sip. "Not too much to start with."

Ford gulped at the water and then laid back against the pillows. His energy seemed to have drained as quickly as he drained the small glass. Kristin leaned over the bed and reached for his hand.

"Good to have you back with us."

"How long was I out?" The voice was still rough, but the volume had picked up a little.

"A few hours since you last graced us with your presence." Levin checked his watch as he spoke.

"Lucas?" The fear in his eyes was evident to them both.

Kristin squeezed his hand and smiled. Each time he woke up he had asked the same thing. She wished something had changed so she could give him a new answer. "He's out of surgery. We contained the bleed in his brain and we are hopeful that he is going to be fine."

If he had been more alert he may have picked up on something in her voice that belied that sense of hope, but he was still feeling too groggy to notice. He leaned back into the pillow and hoped that his dizziness would subside soon. A dull ache in his chest reminded him of just why he was there.

He watched as Bridger moved into his line of sight. The captain smiled at him.

"Jonathan. Good to see you back with us."

"Glad to be back, Sir." Even with his head not quite fully functioning yet, he could see that the captain looked exhausted.

"Captain ... how's Lucas doing?"

Bridger slowly exhaled. There was no need to burden Ford with his concerns at this point. "He's just through there." He pointed across the room. "Hopefully he'll be awake soon too and you can compare notes on your nurses."

The lame attempt at humour still managed to pull a smile from Kristin and she looked across at the captain. The strain on his face was clear to her and she reached out a hand. As she squeezed his arm she could feel the tension in the muscle under her fingers.

Suddenly a commotion erupted in the room next to them and monitoring equipment began blaring in warning.

* * *

The darkness peeled back slowly. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

His mind began to register his surroundings and he realised he was in medbay.

"_No, no, no, no, no, no!" _

If he was in medbay then the darkness had lied. If he was coming back out of the darkness he wasn't dead. And if he wasn't dead, then …

His mind screamed in anguish. He had no idea that his body was reacting in tandem. The monitor registered his suddenly spiking heart rate and it began to bleep in warning.

"Captaaaaaaiiiin! Noooooo!"

Lawrence lunged across the bed and grabbed at him before he threw himself off the bed, but Lucas blindly fought him off.

"Noooooooo!"

Bridger came running through the door with Kristin and Joshua close on his heels. Lucas was clearly distraught, but as the captain reached for him, he shrank back.

"Lucas! Lucas it's me. You're safe."

"Liar!"

_The darkness was trying to pull him back under. To confuse his mind again. The image in front of him was lying. One of them was dead. He just wasn't sure which one of them._

"Lucas." Lawrence reached for him again, but Lucas tried to push himself over the side of the bed, away from them all, but he was surrounded. His head was pounding furiously.

"No, no, no!"

Bridger could hear the quickened and panicked breathing and he slowly reached out a hand. He grasped hold of Lucas' hand and held on, even when he tried to pull it back and fight him off.

"Lucas, it's OK."

The hand wrapped around his certainly felt solid. His mind tried to shy away from it again, but something in him overrode it.

"Captain?" It was barely a whisper.

Bridger leaned in closer. "Right here, Kiddo."

Lucas tentatively reached out his free hand and touched the captain's face. Tears began to silently stream down his face.

"You're real?"

Bridger smiled back at him. "Sure am."

He reached across and gently pulled Lucas towards him. As he wrapped his arms around him, he could feel Lucas' heart pounding in his chest. "I'm right here," he whispered again. "You're safe."

Kristin silenced the beeping alarm, but kept a close eye on the numbers feeding out. They needed to get his heart rate and blood pressure down or all the hard work done in the OR could be undone. She watched as Nathan held tight to the distressed teenager and he kept up a steady stream of calming words. As he spoke over the top of the mess of hair, she could see the unspoken questions in his eyes.

Joshua had already returned with a syringe before she could ask for it and she just nodded at him. It was a simple matter to push it into the IV feed without Lucas even knowing he was there.

Bridger continued to watch her face, scanning for any information she could relay. He didn't want to stop his monologue of soothing words to ask her any questions. Finally he felt Lucas' tightly wound body slump against him and he knew that whatever Joshua had administered had hit its mark. He still refused to let go.

Ford leaned against the door frame and watched as Lucas seemed to give up the fight. He wasn't sure what Levin had done, but figured it was some kind of sedative. Lucas' bloodcurdling scream had left him abandoned in the next room, but there was no way he could sit there and wait for anybody to come back. He felt his knees beginning to give out on him and he grasped at the door frame. Levin noticed him first and reached out a steadying hand.

"Commander? Let's get you back to bed."

He gripped Jonathan's elbow and tried to steer him into the next room. He hadn't expected the stubbornness of the resistance.

"No! Is he all right?"

Ford could barely hold himself upright and he was grateful for the hand holding him, but he needed to know. Nobody screamed like that without a good reason.

Bridger still had a tight grip on Lucas and he looked back over his shoulder. Ford didn't look so good.

"He'll be fine, Jonathan. Let Joshua get you back to bed." He watched as Ford tried to argue with him, but stopped him in his tracks. "That's an order, Commander."

Levin just smirked at him as he steered him back through the doorway.

Kristin was still watching the feed of numbers and was relieved to see them heading in the right direction. She knew Lucas was no longer conscious, but Nathan had still not released him. She reached out and touched his arm.

"Nathan, I need to check him out."

He hesitated as though he wasn't going to let go and she totally understood why. Finally he pulled one arm free and touched the side of Lucas' face. When he got no response he gently laid him back against the pillow and slowly pulled his other arm free. The pale face in front of him at least seemed to be peaceful. Small blessings, considering what had just happened.

As Kristin stepped in and began assessing her patient, Bridger moved back out of her way. He noted Lawrence was simply leaning against the far wall. The look of shock on his face was obvious and for a moment the captain actually felt sorry for him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you to the lovely reviewers and to those who have messaged me with encouraging comments and ideas. Some of you are as invested in this story as I am apparently.**

**Chapter Sixteen**

The frozen frame of video stared back at him. It didn't matter how many times he rewound it and played it through, he could not find the answers he needed. Tarraci's lack of facial expression and cold eyes watched him from the screen.

"You sick animal!" Noyce scrubbed a hand through his hair in frustration. "How the hell did the UEO ever let you loose on the world?"

"Sir?"

Noyce spun around in his chair. Detective Reynolds stood in the doorway with an empty mug in his hand.

"I was just getting a coffee and thought you could use one." Before Noyce could answer, he nodded towards the screen. "Have you found something?"

In his time as an admiral, Noyce had learned how to fob off subordinates, but this was different. The man standing across from him was a seasoned detective with street instincts. He was pretty sure he could smell a lie a mile away. Fortunately, in his time in the navy and as the Secretary General, Noyce had learned a thing or two about evasion and misdirection. In fact, Bridger had shown him a few things along those lines once with a fake video feed of a bunch of missing politicians. While Lucas had managed to get a signal out to the _seaQuest_, Bridger had been able to foil Andrea at her traitorous game.

Noyce sucked in a breath. That's what this was all about! At the time he had been reluctant to see what Bridger was telling him about his old Woodstock friend, but eventually he had been beyond having a choice. At one end Lucas had ruined her plans. At the other end, Bridger had bought enough time for her to be caught out and to stop her from instigating martial law. He would have had a hard time believing it if he hadn't been there himself. Ultimately though, he was the one who had taken over her job. Albeit reluctantly, he knew her well enough to know that she would not have seen it that way.

"Sir? Is everything all right?" Reynolds was looking at him with concern.

Noyce nodded at him before standing up. "Yes, Detective. I think I just need some of that coffee you mentioned."

Reynolds wasn't fooled, but he just waved a mug in the direction of the kitchen. "Sure. This way."

As Noyce followed him down the corridor his mind was racing. If Andrea wanted to punish them all, what better way but to use them against each other? If Lucas had succeeded, he would have been left to live with the consequences of his actions. If, as had ultimately played out, he failed to follow through, then Nathan had to live with Lucas' death. At least, from what he had been told, that seemed to be the plan. And either way, Noyce would be left to live with the results hanging over his own head.

Reynolds looked back as they entered the kitchen and saw Noyce shaking his head.

"Sir, are you sure that everything is all right?"

"No … it's not. You think you know somebody … and then it turns out … you don't really know them at all."

'Yeah, I've lost count of how many family members I have interviewed over the years who would have sworn on a stack of bibles that their brother or mother or cousin couldn't possibly be our suspect."

As he poured two mugs of thick, black coffee he scanned the bench tops for a spoon. Eventually he pulled one out of the sink and was about to plunge it into the sugar when he remembered whose coffee he was making. He leaned back over the sink and rinsed it off, but since there was no sign of a teatowel, he shook it off and hoped Noyce hadn't noticed. When he looked back up, he was relieved to see the man wasn't even paying attention. Clearly something was chewing at him though.

* * *

Ben wandered through the corridors of the _seaQuest,_ on a mission to find a man that he had very little concern for. The fact that Lucas did was the only reason he was going. He could have argued that Bridger hadn't ordered it so he didn't need to do it and the captain probably would have agreed with him. But for some unknown reason Lucas loved the man. Blood really was thicker than water he figured.

He had tried Lucas' quarters first. Then the guest quarters that Lawrence had barely been in since he arrived. Then the mess. The bridge. Launch bay. Ben was almost at the point of giving up and going back to medbay when he had a call on his PAL. Somebody had seen Lawrence heading in the vicinity of the moonpool.

As he entered the small room he was surprised to see Lawrence sitting on the grate over the pool's edge. He had his legs crossed and sitting balanced on his lap was the yellow vocorder control. Ben felt like he was somehow intruding and he hesitated in the doorway. Surprisingly, he couldn't hear any conversation of any kind going on. He had expected that Darwin would be in the area if Lawrence was there, but there was no sign of the dolphin. If Bridger hadn't asked him to follow up he may well have turned and walked away at that point. Instead, he sucked in a sharp breath and strode across the room.

Lawrence looked up at the sound of footsteps and Ben saw a flicker of something cross his face before he reined it in.

"Lieutenant."

"It's Ben, remember? Or Krieg. Either one is fine." He smiled, but Lawrence didn't smile in return.

"I thought that … I thought … " Lawrence lifted the vocorder and waved it in front of his face. "I thought that there may be one of Lucas' friends who would want to talk to me." He placed the unit on the floor beside him and frowned. "Guess not."

The bitterness in his voice was crystal clear and Ben madly scrambled for the appropriate response. Before he could speak, Lawrence began again.

"You know, Lucas talked about building this things for years. Once he gets an idea in his head he's like a dog at a bone. Tell him it can't be done and he'll go out of his way to prove you wrong."

Ben smiled as he thought about how true that statement was.

"I told him not to waste his time on such nonsense. And then I heard Darwin speak." Lawrence looked up again and his eyes were shining with unshed tears. "My son is extraordinary. And for the most part, I was too busy to notice!"

"Yeah, he's pretty amazing."

"And how long did it take you to realise that, Lieutenant? Sorry … Ben."

Krieg smiled as he recalled the first time he had considered just how smart Lucas was. "About ten minutes after I met him. He made me look like a moron!"

"He makes most people look like morons. As a kid, he never fit in anywhere. His conversations were way over the other kids' heads and they didn't know what to make of him. I thought that coming here would be good for him. A place where he could be challenged and reach his potential."

"It _has_ been good for him … mostly." Krieg's voice trailed away as he realised how ridiculous that notion sounded that recent events could be considered good.

"I know. He couldn't be that attached to Captain Bridger without being happy here."

Somehow there seemed to be an implied disapproval in there. Ben felt torn between defending the captain and trying to support a stressed father. When he didn't respond, Lawrence just stared at him.

"I don't pretend to really understand what happened on the bridge, but from everything I have been told, my son was fighting some kind of mind control, to his own detriment. You don't do that for somebody you just work with."

There were times in his role as morale officer that Ben felt the need to pad the truth a little. He finally decided that this wasn't one of those times. Lawrence was laying it bare and he felt the need to at least respect that.

"Lucas loves Captain Bridger. The feeling is mutual. The captain lost his son some years ago and when he came on board it took a while for him and Lucas to figure each other out. Once they did, they both realised how much they had in common. Although they butt heads sometimes like … well … like family." Ben tried to reel in the comment before he made Lawrence feel any more disconnected. He mentally kicked himself as he heard the words coming out of his mouth.

"So he's replaced his son with mine?" The question could have sounded jealous, but it just came out as a matter-of-fact one.

"No. It's not like that. Robert was an awesome guy. But Lucas is quite different. Robert was military, but didn't have much affinity with science. Somehow the captain manages to meld the two, but that was one thing he and Robert did not have in common. Lucas has no interest in the military. It'd cramp his style! Not to mention his fashion sense. But science! Oh man, he loves that stuff."

Lawrence just nodded at him. "Back there … in medbay … he pushed me away. Like he didn't know who I was. I couldn't help him." His voice wavered as he recalled the horrifying few moments.

"But Nathan … he knew just what to do to get through to him." He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. The pain etched on his face was obvious. "Have I lost my son?"

Ben sat and watched him for a moment. "He's a fighter. He's not going anywhere!"

Lawrence slowly opened his eyes. "I know. But that wasn't what I meant."

Ben knew exactly what he meant and he didn't really want to answer. Did the man deserve his son?

"Families are strange things. We don't get to choose them and sometimes we'd like to ditch them. I'm no expert on relationships, but I do know that Lucas loves you. He wouldn't get so knocked around if he didn't care."

Lawrence frowned at the comment. "I'm no expert either. Obviously! I'm not sure that we deserve to be called family."

"You don't deserve him." Ben was past playing it nice and decided that blunt was his only option. "Waddaya want me to say? You don't deserve him. But he's yours. So fix it! From what I've seen you're a pretty clever guy. And you've got a major headstart because he loves you. Fix it! You're the only one who can."

Under other circumstances Lawrence would have dismissed such a statement. When he was in his element nobody got to speak to him like that. But he wasn't in his element. As he watched the water in the pool below him he realised he was just like a fish out of water. Lucas was a part of the _seaQuest's_ family and he clearly wasn't.

"I hope that I can."

* * *

Reynolds sat at the table with his coffee and watched as Noyce seemed to be debating something in his head. He was a patient man and he knew that if he waited, whatever this was, would unfold soon enough. Noyce glanced at his watch again. Reynolds had already noted that he did that a lot. He was waiting for something. Or someone.

Noyce finally looked across at him. "This coffee is rubbish!"

Reynolds laughed out loud. It wasn't exactly the kind of comment he would have expected from a politician. "Yeah, it is. But it's black enough to keep us all awake."

"I need to make a call to the _seaQuest._ There's somebody I need to bring down here."

"Who's that?"

"Lieutenant Ben Krieg. If Tarraci doesn't want to talk, maybe we need to rattle something loose."

"And how is this Krieg going to do that?"

"By telling Tarraci that his plan worked."

Reynolds had sat in many interrogations where he had played "good cop, bad cop" so he was used to messing with a suspect's head. He wasn't quite sure where Noyce was going yet, but was willing to find out.

* * *

Bridger sat on the end of the bed and scanned Jonathan's face. He had refused painkillers to keep his head clear, but it was obvious he needed some help.

"They played us." Ford scowled at them and the captain wondered if it was the pain or the idea.

"How do you figure?"

"When I grabbed Lucas … to stop him … he kept whispering something … over and over."

"What?" Bridger leaned a little closer.

"It's my mission." Ford leaned back against the pillow and tried to subdue the pain in his chest.

"Remember the supervisor at the dock? He told us that Lucas said he was on a secret mission. It was such a ridiculous comment that he knew we would come back and ask Lucas about it. Captain, I think ... I think that maybe that was some kind of trigger."

Bridger nodded slowly as the same idea began to form in his mind. "It would definitely explain a few things. Like why the Stinger got dragged off to New Cape Quest. It forced us to go looking and meet up with your guy at that dock. And it put us on their timetable. Events unfolded as they dictated."

"Captain … " Ford glanced across at the open doorway that led into the room where Lucas was still sedated. "What if there are more triggers?"


	17. Chapter 17

**I have no idea why, but every time I write a story I always seem to end up with so much more than I bargained for. I thought I would be done by now, but this just seems to have more detail than I expected. Well I hope you enjoy the next instalment.**

**Chapter Seventeen**

Bridger paused in the doorway. Behind him he could hear Joshua tending to his patient and almost laughed. Ford had tried to bluff his way through that he didn't need any pain meds, but Joshua was not going to listen to any more of it.

"Commander, on the bridge, you can tell me what to do. Down here … this is my domain! I let you hold off so you could stay clear-headed to talk, but now your head needs a little relief. And frankly, so does the rest of you."

The captain slowly moved away from his irritable second-in-command and his tormentor. The room ahead of him was quiet, except for the soft and steady beeps emanating from the monitors. Lucas still looked pale against the pillow, but it seemed he was at least sleeping peacefully. Bridger stood and watched as Kristin checked off some notes on the chart. As she looked up at him he tried to smile at her. Her calm presence always seemed to make the medbay a little less worrying and as she smiled back, he felt the beginnings of hope returning. Until he remembered Jonathan's question.

"What's wrong?" Kristin moved towards him as he suddenly frowned.

Bridger scratched at the back of his neck as he thought about what to ask her. "Ahh … I'm not sure. I was just talking to Jonathan and he had some interesting thoughts. Well … concerning thoughts, really."

"Such as?"

"Well … I'm still trying to figure out this whole Tarraci thing myself and I have a fair idea of how it works." The look of disgust on his face just highlighted how much he really knew.

Kristin chose not to answer, as she tasted the sour taste of bile rising from her stomach. How the man could ever have been called a doctor was beyond her. Instead, she just nodded at Bridger and waited for him to continue.

"An idea can be implanted, but it takes a trigger doesn't it?"

"Yes. Something has to set it off, otherwise it would just lay dormant."

"Jonathan is pretty sure the whole charade with the Stinger was intended to relay the trigger here, with a phrase that would set things off. They had control over the timing by keeping that supervisor out of the loop and then letting us know via the UEO that we had missed a possible witness. Of course we were going to check it out! That's exactly what they were counting on."

Kristin nodded slowly in agreement. "It's certainly plausible."

Bridger walked over towards the bed and gently scooped up Lucas' hand. He had done it far too many times already, but she knew he would continue to do it for as long as he was needed. As he wrapped his own around the limp fingers, Kristin felt that his mind was still ticking over madly. The frown on his face certainly reflected the inner turmoil and she waited until he was ready to continue.

Finally he looked back up at her and she read fear in his eyes. "Jonathan asked me before … what if there are more triggers? What if they have programmed something else in there that we don't know about yet? They already tried to turn Lucas into a weapon, but … Kristin … what if they planned to use him further? Could he still be a danger to anybody else?"

As the two of them looked at the very still, very young face before them, neither of them wanted to think about that possibility.

"Or worse … could he be a danger to himself again?"

Kristin swallowed hard and tried to force out an answer. The truth was, she knew just how very close they had come to losing him already and she was terrified that Nathan could possibly be right.

"The one person who could actually answer that isn't doing much talking from what Bill said."

"Yeah. I wish that they'd give me five minutes with him. I'd make him talk!" The threat came out in a low growl and Kristin shuddered at what that meant. Nathan had never scared her before, but they had never been in this territory before either.

Neither of them heard Joshua enter behind them and Kristin almost jumped as he spoke.

"Captain, there's a call for you from Secretary General Noyce. He says he needs to speak to you and Lieutenant Krieg. The lieutenant is already on his way here."

"Thank you, Joshua. I'll take it in there." He pointed towards the office as he looked across at Lucas. "I'll be right back, Kiddo. Don't run away."

Kristin smiled at the silly comment and watched as Bridger gave Lucas' hand one last squeeze before placing it back under the covers. She watched him as he walked away from her and she could see the determined set of his shoulders. He would do whatever it took to make this right.

Ben came hurrying into the room and almost collided with Kristin. "Sorry, just looking for the captain. Any idea ..."

"In there." She waved a hand towards the office. "He's waiting ... for you ... already." The comment trailed off as he rushed past her with barely a nod. If she hadn't known why he was in such a hurry, she would have been annoyed. Part of her wanted to head into the office too, but Ben had already shut the door behind him. Instead she looked back over her patient and smoothed off the bedding around him. She had learned her craft over many years in hospitals that always prided themselves on how well their nurses could turn out hospital corners on the beds. Funnily enough, it was something that had stuck with her. Somehow the sense of order of a tidy bed was a calming influence on many patients and family members.

"_Sometimes you just take whatever helps,"_ she thought to herself.

Eventually she decided she wasn't going anywhere until Nathan or Ben came and filled her in on whatever was going on.

* * *

Ben stared at the vidscreen.

"Are you serious?" He looked across at Bridger for confirmation that he wasn't misunderstanding. "You want to let me loose in a room with that ... that ... monster!"

Noyce nodded at him through the vidlink, although he looked a little concerned at his own suggestion. "Yes, I do. I realise this isn't orthodox and in actual fact, if anybody asked, I may have to deny all knowledge, but I can't think of any better way to get the information we need."

"Lieutenant, are you all right with the idea?" Bridger leaned against the desk with his arms folded, mainly to hide his own clenched fists. If he was honest with himself, he wanted to trade places.

"Are you kidding me? I can't think of anything I'd like more!"

"Lieutenant, I understand your feelings, but this isn't for your own personal revenge. This is to gain information. I can't put you in there if you can't follow the plan." Noyce looked worried and he glanced across at the captain. "Can he do this, Nathan? As planned?"

Bridger looked at Krieg's face and saw his own tension reflected there. Could he reasonably ask the man to be let loose with Tarraci and then be able to reign himself in? As he looked he remembered the conversations he had had with Ben about leaving to go and look for Lucas.

"If this is going to help Lucas ... then ... yes, he can. Lieutenant Krieg can follow orders."

Ben noted the formality of the captain's response and realised he was being given both his respect and a warning. Don't blow this!

"Good. Then here's the plan."

* * *

Lawrence wandered around the room and randomly picked up different things. He examined each thing before carefully returning it to wherever he had picked it up from. He smiled as he realised that Lucas still seemed to have multiple projects on the go at once. Various pieces of half-made electronic equipment lay scattered across a shelf. Some of them seemed to be pieces that were being put together, while a couple appeared to be in the process of being dismantled.

"Same as ever," he muttered to himself. He had lost count of how many things Lucas had pulled apart as a child to see how they worked. Sometimes he would put them back together and sometimes he had turned them into other things. Some of the "other things" turned out to be prototypes of later plans. Some of them were just very expensive mistakes. Like the time seven-year-old Lucas had pulled apart a visitor's watch to find out what it looked like on the inside. The name Rolex didn't mean much to him, but it certainly meant something to his father when he had to repair it!

He reached up to the higher shelf and tugged at one of the books there. He found it interesting that in an era of technology, his techno-genius son still preferred to read an actual book. It was one of Lucas' eccentricities that he had forgotten about. And one of the things they had in common.

As he thumbed through the book he sensed movement beside him and glanced up to see a grey shadow watching him. He stared back at the dolphin and wondered why he was there.

"If you are looking for Lucas he isn't here." The dolphin continued to stare at him and he felt slightly uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Finally he decided to reach across and pick up the vocorder. Darwin seemed to nod at him as he did so, but maybe that was just the water moving in the aquatube.

He flicked the dial and held the unit towards his mouth. He had seen Lucas use it, but it was quite some time ago and he couldn't remember if it had a limited range for the microphone. Suddenly he found himself at a loss as to what to say. What did you say to a dolphin you barely knew?

"Lucas' pod?" Darwin beat him to it with a question, but Lawrence just frowned at him. Lucas didn't have a pod.

"Oh, you mean "family"?"

Darwin stared at him as though waiting for him to catch up. Lawrence nodded at him. "Yes! Yes, I'm Lucas' father. I'm Lawrence. We've met before. Last time I was here."

"Long time."

Lawrence felt his guilt rising up again, mixed with a sense of irritation that a dolphin seemed to be telling him off. Suddenly he remembered Krieg's parting comment and he sucked in a breath. "Yes ... it's been a long time. Too long!"

"Darwin waiting for Lucas."

"_You and me both!"_

"Lucas is still in medbay."

"Lucas is still sick?"

Lawrence stared at the animal in front of him. How could a mere dolphin seem to convey such concern in a few words? He knew how attached Lucas was to Darwin, but had never given it much credence. Another thing he had missed, apparently.

"Yes ... Lucas is still sick."

"_And I don't know if he is going to get better."_ Lawrence stepped backwards as a sudden fear gripped at him.

"I'm sorry ... I need to go and see him."

Darwin watched as Lawrence tossed the vocorder onto the bunk and hurried out of the room. He saw the door close, but he still didn't move. He knew there was no aquatube access to wherever Lucas had disappeared to so for the moment, he chose to stay where he was. From there he could see so much of his friend's things and that would have to be enough. At least until Bridger followed through on his promise to bring Lucas back.

* * *

Ben stood outside the doors to the police precinct. He watched several people come and go through the double glass doors. Noyce had filled him in and he knew the plan. He just wasn't sure he trusted himself to follow it. Finally he straightened his shoulders, sucked in a breath and marched through the doors. Lucas needed him to do his job.

He walked up to the main desk and told the duty officer that he was looking for the Secretary General. The man looked unsure as he eyed up the UEO officer in front of him.

"Name?"

Krieg stopped himself from retorting with something about the police putting their best officers in the most public positions. Instead he simply responded with "Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg. Reporting as ordered."

The sergeant flipped through information on a screen that Krieg couldn't see and finally he nodded. "Through there. Follow the yellow line to the end."

"Thanks."

"A_nd have a lovely day!" _Krieg reigned in his sarcasm and headed off to follow the yellow line.

"Follow the yellow brick road," he mumbled to himself. It sure felt like he had landed in Oz. Nothing had felt right for days now and he wished he could just wake up from the nightmare and find everything was back to normal. As he followed the marker down a corridor he noted that not many people were in the area. Finally he rounded a corner and found that the yellow line really did run out. A boxy little room contained several desks and he was surprised to see Noyce sitting at one of them.

"Lieutenant. Thank you for coming so quickly."

It only took a few minutes for Noyce to outline the final details of his plan. Ben listened, but said very little in response. He was afraid that if he said what he really thought he may get pulled off the assignment.

"We need to know where Andrea Dre is and who else she has with her. Tarraci's our best bet."

"Understood, Sir. Let me at him!"

Noyce frowned slightly, but reminded himself that this was exactly why he had called the man in.

Ten minutes later Ben found himself alone in an empty corridor. He wasn't sure how many cops Noyce had let in on his plan, but whatever the case, he had managed to clear the area of witnesses. Ben stared at the closed door and pushed down the repulsion he felt. He steeled himself and walked over to yank open the door.

Noyce had shown him a photo of the man, but it didn't quite prepare him for his first sight of Tarraci in the flesh. In his head he had envisaged some kind of monster. Instead, the man sitting handcuffed to the chair looked like he could have been an accountant or a banker. His hair was thinning on top and the patchy stubble on his face made him look scruffy.

Tarraci looked up and stared at him. Arrogance seemed to just ooze off him, as though he were somehow untouchable. Ben stared back at him.

Finally Tarraci seemed to register that this wasn't just another cop or UEO nobody. His uniform identified him as being _seaQuest _personnel. A lieutenant. So not really anybody overly important. But something was different about the man's body language. Given that he was an expert in reading people's emotions and using it to control them, something about the man in front of him unsettled him. Everybody else that he had interacted with so far had been operating under expected protocols. He didn't care what they thought of him, even though their distaste had been obvious. He had smirked at their impotence as they questioned him and prodded at him for information.

This one was different. As he pondered how he was different the man just stared back at him. Very slowly and deliberately he turned towards the door. Tarraci thought he was leaving and smiled until he reached the door and simply locked it.

Suddenly Ben launched himself and smashed a fist into the side of Tarraci's head. The action was so unexpected that he didn't have time to brace himself or duck out of the way. The fist connected, full force and knocked him sideways. He struggled to stay upright in the chair as it wobbled on two legs. Finally he righted the chair and tried to clear his vision. Without warning, a second shot hit him from the other side and he tipped backwards onto the floor.

Before he could find his voice to respond, Ben was on his knees beside him and had both hands around Tarraci's throat.

"I oughta just kill you right now!" he spat out. The fury in his eyes matched the venom in his voice and Tarraci wondered for the first time, just who he really was.

"Payback! For you killing my captain!"

In spite of his precarious position, Tarraci found his heart rate rising. Not from fear, but from excitement. It worked!

He looked up into black eyes that glared back at him with hatred. He could hear pounding at the door, but the man leaning over him seemed oblivious to it.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello there. So sorry for the long break, but life gets in the way of story writing sometimes. Thanks for the reviews and PMs that kept me motivated. The next week is kinda crazy for me so the next chapter might be a while off. Sorry!**

**Chapter Eighteen**

"You think this is funny?" Ben had a handful of fabric scrunched up in his left hand and was vaguely aware that Tarraci was breathing harder, even as his face twisted into an almost smile. He felt his fingers tighten slightly and the smile finally slid off the man's face. "You used an innocent kid as a weapon. You killed Captain Bridger and you think this is funny!"

The hammering on the outer door had increased and Ben could hear voices calling his name, but he completely ignored them. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead and he had to force himself not to squeeze any harder. As much as he wanted to just snap the man's neck, he knew that the UEO needed any information he could gather. If he left a few bruises in the process, well then that was just too bad.

He leaned closer over his victim and noted how Tarraci's eyes tracked him closely. "You hear that? I don't care!"

Tarraci tried to nod, but couldn't move his head. Instead he defiantly glared back. "You can't get away with this! Call yourself an officer?"

Ben felt an overwhelming urge to spit in the man's face. "I call myself, justice. You see, I know enough to know that you will get a lawyer and claim insanity and plea-bargain and do whatever it takes to get off the hook. And there won't be any justice. Because the UEO has to follow the rules. While scum like you think the rules don't ever apply to you."

He squeezed a little more at the man's throat and felt the satisfaction of feeling him tense up again.

Whoever was outside the door was doing a good job of giving the impression they were trying desperately to get in. The door shook and rattled and fists pounded loudly on it. Voices yelled out his name and threats could be heard about court-martialing him. The whole time, Ben struggled to reign in his emotions and keep the focus on why he was there.

Information. He couldn't get any information if he killed the only person who could give it to them.

Frustration welled up inside him and before he knew it he had pulled his fist back and slammed it into Tarraci's smug face. He felt the sting of his knuckles hitting against a hard cheekbone. With his head already pressed against the floor there was no room for Tarraci to move and Ben felt his fist hit home again. Primal anger competed with logic as to which part of him was in control, but he finally managed to cap his rage.

"You sick … " before he could continue he felt his breath quickening. Tarraci had blood dribbling down the side of his face and he still glared back defiantly. Ben faked another swing at him and had the satisfaction of seeing him flinch.

"Lieutenant! Open this door, now!" Noyce's furious voice was loud enough to carry through the solid door.

"Go to hell!" Ben never took his eyes off his prisoner as he shouted back.

"They are going to court-martial you … Lieutenant!" The sarcasm in Tarraci's voice made him want to resume pummeling him, but Ben managed to keep a grip on himself. He had a knee against Tarraci's leg to hold him on the floor and he deliberately dug it in further.

"You seem to have mistaken me for somebody who gives a damn! You used my friend … a kid! … to kill Captain Bridger. His life is over. Just as much as Bridger's life is over!"

Tarraci couldn't help but feel the thrill of achieving his goal, but he managed to keep a neutral look on his face. He had realised his captor wasn't playing by the rules anymore and he didn't want another fist in his face. Somewhere along the line the team outside the door would get in and then he knew this loser would be arrested.

"Nobody will ever trust Lucas again that you haven't planted more in his head."

Ben was stunned as Tarraci burst out laughing. "Oh that's just priceless. I only gave him one mission which he carried out perfectly. But you're right. Andrea said he would be tainted forever. I guess it doesn't do to cross the lady now does it?"

Tarraci smirked at him. Ben noted that something had shifted in the game. Except that he wasn't playing the same game as his prey was.

"Where is she?" he growled.

"Dre?" Terraci squirmed a little as his back muscles began to complain about lying on the floor so long. "Nowhere you are ever gonna find her!"

"That's where you are wrong. Again!" The voice was low and soft and almost got lost against the voices shouting from the other side of the door. Ben reached behind him and pulled a weapon out of the back of his belt. As he forced it up against Tarraci's head he leaned down close. "You see, I think you are a coward. You hide behind your drugs and whatever else you use, but you are basically a coward. You picked the wrong targets and now I've got nothing to lose! Tell me … where … she is."

The urgency in the fist pounding against the door seemed to intensify and Tarraci nervously chanced a look across the room. Interview rooms were built to withstand violent prisoners and he knew that door wasn't going to give out quickly. He weighed up the potential urgency of those outside the door against the fury of the homicidal man holding a gun to his head.

Today was not a good day to die!

* * *

Bridger reached over towards the mug and took a sip before spitting it back into the mug. It was stone cold. He glanced at his watch and realised it had been over an hour since Tim had brought it down to him. He noted that Lawrence was watching him, but he hadn't said a word.

The captain had spent the last couple of hours trying to work out just where Lawrence was at and had almost decided to give up. Their conversation had been stilted at best and non-existent for most of the time. If it weren't for the too-still teenager sleeping in between them then neither of them would have been in the room, let alone having to tolerate each other.

The last few weeks had pulled out so many emotions that Bridger wasn't sure he would ever be able to pack them away again. He shuddered as he realised just how many times he had almost resigned himself to the fact that Lucas was gone. Almost. He looked up again to see Lawrence had seen his reaction and was frowning at him.

"_This is ridiculous!"_

Finally he stood up and stretched the kinks out of his back. "This is always the worst part."

"What is?"

"Waiting."

Lawrence nodded, as if to himself. "Yes, I guess patience is not very high on my list of personality traits."

Bridger smiled at him as he sat back down. The first time he had heard Lawrence admit a flaw.

"It's something I have had to learn in the military, but it certainly hasn't always been an easy lesson."

Lawrence leaned forward in his chair and stared at his son's face. "Is he … is … he isn't going to be the same is he?" The fear in the question radiated across the room.

Bridger looked at the man's face and saw the heart of a father there. Something he wasn't very used to seeing, but it was a welcome change. Lucas was going to need it.

"I don't know. Kristin says the human mind is very strong. He's got everybody around him who will help him find his way back."

Lawrence seemed not to have heard him as he continued to stare at Lucas. It seemed as though he were having an internal conversation as well and that one had just overtaken things. Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't doing so well in the conversation. Bridger had a fair idea the kind of things that were running through his head as he had dealt with the same accusations himself.

You failed!

You didn't do your job!

You've lost him!

As much as there had been times where he wanted to boot Lawrence in the butt and get him to understand things, right now he felt nothing but sympathy.

"You raised a great kid."

The comment caught Lawrence off guard and he looked up with a strange expression on his face. "That's what Lieutenant Krieg said earlier. Lucas really does fit in around here doesn't he?"

"You sound surprised by that. But yes, he does. He's a valuable member of my crew."

Lawrence slowly reached out and ran a finger down the side of his son's face. He looked like he was barely holding back tears. "He's my son." The words were barely a whisper. "And sometimes I forget that."

"I think you've been reminded." The captain could feel the sting of regret in the other man's voice and it stirred up a range of emotions in him. His own regrets rose to the surface and he tried to push them back down. Now was not the time to deal with them.

"He loves you." The words sounded hollow. Bridger waited to see where Lawrence was going with that before responding.

"Back there on the bridge … when he was waving that weapon around and threatening to kill you … he should have gone through with it. He should have just done it. I mean, that's was he was programmed to do."

Bridger cringed as he recalled the look on Lucas' face. The mask of hatred that he hoped never to see again. He couldn't speak and just nodded instead.

Lawrence nodded back. "I've spoken to Kristin and Joshua and looked up everything I could find on mind control. I hate to think what they did to him. But everything I have found out tells me that even with an extreme suggestive state, the person can still override it if they are strong enough. Or have a strong enough reason to."

The captain just stared at him as he waited for Lawrence to get to the point.

"I guess they didn't count on how much Lucas loves you."

The simple observation was both poignant and painful. The captain would have done anything in his power to protect Lucas and stop him having to suffer and yet he was the very reason they had been able to torture the teenager in the first place. He had mulled over the same thought every time his mind began to wander, but each time he reigned it back in. It was just too hard to face yet.

"The thing is, Nathan … I have been wondering … "

Before he could finish, Bridger's PAL beeped in his pocket. He smiled apologetically across at Lawrence as he pulled it out.

"Bridger here."

"Captain, we've got Secretary General Noyce on vidlink for you."

Bridger glanced at his watch and didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. It hadn't been that long since Krieg left the _seaQuest. _Either Noyce's plan had worked as hoped for or it had all gone south.

"Put him through to the medbay office, Lieutenant."

As he stood up to move away he noted that Lawrence hadn't shifted. "Ah, sorry, gotta take this call."

He was out of earshot before Lawrence responded. "The thing is, Nathan … would Lucas have done the same thing for me?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you lovely people for keeping me going with this. There just always seems to be more to tell than I anticipated. **

**Chapter Nineteen**

Reynolds leaned against the wall and tapped the fingers of one hand against the back of his other hand. He appeared to be bored, but he was actually keeping a close eye on his watch. He wouldn't let on to Tarraci that he was anxiously awaiting news from the outside world. It had taken over forty-five minutes to get a doctor in to see to their prisoner and he had needed to use all his skills to stall that long as Tarraci had complained loudly about legal treatment of prisoners in custody. The doctor they had brought is was competent enough, but there was nothing particularly caring about his bedside manner. Perhaps he had seen the inside of too many prison cells to really care any more. Whatever the case, he efficiently assessed and patched up his unhappy patient before nodding to the detective that he was done.

Tarraci glared at him through his one good eye; the other one having swollen closed already. He could feel the bruising coming out and he tentatively touched his fingers against his cheekbone. Underneath the dressing he could make out the neat row of stitches. The area was still numb from the local anaesthetic the doctor had injected, but he knew it was just a matter of time before it began to throb.

He wasn't used to being on the receiving end of violent treatment and his fury was barely buried beneath the surface. He had allowed the doctor to finish his work without comment, but his mind kept ticking over and replaying the last few hours. He recalled the humiliation of being locked into the room with a crazed UEO officer who was clearly hellbent on revenge. He smiled slightly at the thought of what was going to happen to that same officer. When the police had finally broken through the locked door he had been hauled out of the room, kicking and screaming. Tarraci allowed himself to really smile at last as he remembered the old man's threat of a court martial, which was always an ignominious end to a military career.

Reynolds stood back as the doctor exited the room. He slowly closed the door behind him as he also walked out into the hallway. A uniform stood guard inside the door while Tarraci sat silently against the farthest wall of the interrogation room. After the beating he had just taken from Krieg, Reynolds figured it wasn't surprising that he was keeping his distance from all of them.

Just down the hallway and out of sight of the door, stood Noyce, Reynolds' partner and two uniformed officers. The doctor made a beeline for them and was already filling them in by the time Reynolds caught up.

"… he'll need somebody to check out his stitches soon, but other than that he'll be fine. I hope whichever of your men did this to him is going to be dealt with appropriately!"

Noyce stood up full height and stared at the doctor. "That's our problem, Doctor. Thank you for your help here today. I'll have one of these officers take a statement from you." He looked towards Reynolds. "Detective, is there somewhere the doctor could fill out some paperwork?"

"Sure, Hicks here can take you through to another interview room. Doctor, we need a detailed report for our records."

Noyce watched as the officer escorted the doctor down the corridor and turned into another room. "That report comes directly and _only_ to me."

"Understood, Sir."

Harrison checked his watch again. "You ready to go another round with our resident psycho?"

Reynolds nodded back at him. "Just need to get my report forms. Wouldn't want our victim not receiving justice, would we?"

Harrison smiled slightly. "I'd say he had a little taste of justice today."

"OK, gentlemen, we need to keep focused here on the plan." Noyce looked at the two detectives in front of him. "We need to give Edmonds as much time as possible. Tarraci will soon realise he's being stalled if we don't play this just right."

Reynolds nodded as his face straightened again. "Any word from him yet?"

"The team is almost in place. I'm just waiting for word from them if Tarraci has given us accurate intel. I'll let you know as soon as we know."

A few minutes later Reynolds strode back into the interview room with a data pad tucked under his arm. Tarraci was still sitting by the far wall, licking his wounds and looking very sorry for himself. The uniform nodded at him as he entered, but didn't move from his spot by the door.

* * *

Bridger tapped a finger against the desk and waited for the vidlink to reconnect. He had been told there was a call from Noyce, but by the time he got there the link had dropped out.

Something was wrong.

Given recent events his mind seemed to choose the worst-case scenarios to run through. He was about to push away from the desk when the UEO symbol appeared on the screen again. He leaned forward in anticipation, expecting Noyce's face to appear. Instead he was surprised to see Krieg grinning at him.

"Lieutenant … I hope the other guy looks worse than you do!"

Krieg touched a fingertip to his lip and nodded. "Oh believe me, he isn't going to be winning any beauty contests any time soon."

"Ahh … in case you hadn't noticed … neither are you." Bridger inclined his head slightly as he surveyed the damage. "Ben … are you all right?"

"Yes, Sir. I'm fine." He flexed his bruised knuckles under the view of the screen, but the captain knew what he was doing anyway.

"So … any information?"

Ben nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yeah, he sang like a canary. Pond scum like him might seem big and tough when they have the power on their side, but when he thought he was gonna die … well let's just say he was keen to save himself by trading information."

Bridger barely concealed a smile as he wondered just exactly why Tarraci may have thought he was going to die. It was going to be an interesting debriefing at some point, but for now there were more important things to deal with.

* * *

Reynolds made sure he had on a straight face before turning around. It wouldn't look professional to appear to be enjoying a suspect getting some justice before he was legally proven guilty.

"The doc said you are gonna be fine."

Tarraci snorted in reply. "Is that what you call this, Detective?" He pointed towards his swollen and bruised face. "Fine?"

Reynolds sat down across from him and stared at the man. "That's pretty tame compared to what you are accused of, don't you think?"

"I have never laid a hand on anybody, Detective."

Reynolds almost laughed at the righteous indignation in Tarraci's voice. "No, that's right. I forgot. You just play mind games, don't you?"

When Tarraci refused to answer, Reynolds pulled out his data pad and began to call up the man's file. "All right then … we need to get a report down on what just happened here."

"What for?"

"Waddaya mean, what for? We need to get your statement of what Lieutenant Krieg did to you. He'll be charged and Noyce wants …"

"Sure he will!" Tarraci sneered at him. "You really expect me to believe that the UEO is going to give a damn about my rights?"

"Well, regardless of what you choose to believe, I have been instructed to get a full statement from you." It was the truth; albeit a little sketchy on just where that same report may end up. Reynolds began tapping away on the data pad as he encouraged Tarraci to give him as much detail as possible. It took all his training to keep his thoughts to himself as he listened to the man he knew to be a monster, pour out a tirade against the UEO officer who had dared to lay his hands on him. The man's arrogance overrode his distrust of the authorities as he declared his victim status and demanded justice. It was all Reynolds could do to stop himself from getting up and cheering Krieg as he heard the details. If there hadn't been a reason to drag things out as long as possible, he would have cut short the rant. Instead it served his purpose, so he allowed it to carry on and forced down his feelings.

* * *

There was always something immensely satisfying in achieving what many had thought impossible. Jake Edmonds gripped the steering wheel and resisted the impulse to look into the back seat again. He knew they were only minutes away from the police precinct that Noyce had directed him to and there would be plenty of time to enjoy his success later. He could almost feel the death glare boring into the back of his head as he drove through the heavy city traffic. He had a police escort clearing the way for them and even though he would normally have objected to such attention, this time he knew that time was of the essence. He concentrated on the tail of the vehicle in front of him and left the two officers in the back to concentrate on their high profile prisoner.

* * *

Noyce paced back and forth across the small room and barely managed to restrain himself from checking his watch again. It was a hastily patched together plan that had apparently paid off, but he wouldn't be sure of that until he had absolute proof. He turned as the door opened and nodded at Krieg as he entered the room. The man looked exhausted.

"Lieutenant, how did Nathan take the news?"

Ben smiled at him as he continued over to sit down on a desk. "Keen to see results."

Noyce simply nodded at him. "Well hopefully he won't have to wait very long."

* * *

Jake pulled into a secure, underground entry and flashed an ID card at the guard. It took several minutes before his credentials were verified and he barely managed to contain his impatience as he waited. It was out of character, he knew, but he was on edge and anxious to see this job completed. The more details he had been given about what Dre and her cronies had been up to, the more determined he was to wrap things up. This would _not _go down as an incomplete mission.

Finally the guard waved him through and he continued on to a reserved parking place. Before he had killed the engine he saw UEO officers and police personnel emerging from a side door. Noyce wasn't taking any chances by the look of things. He glanced in the rear view mirror and noted the sour look on the face of his prisoner as she glared back at him.

* * *

Reynolds listened and nodded as Harrison whispered in his ear. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.

"It's time for us to move."

Tarraci sat and stared at him, but made no effort to move.

"Ahh, by "us" … I meant, you! Time to go." Reynolds nodded towards the far door.

"Why?"

"Well … this is how it usually works around here. Prisoners do what they are told by officers of the law. Time to move." He reached over and tugged at Tarraci's arm and wasn't really surprised when he shrugged his hand away. He slowly and deliberately moved around to the other side of the desk and grabbed hold of the man's handcuffed wrist.

"Time … to … move." The words were slow and deliberate and Tarraci looked up into a face that, while calm, was in no way, sympathetic. He reluctantly stood up and allowed himself to be steered out into the corridor. He had no idea where they were going, except maybe back to a holding cell. He was surprised to see Noyce standing against a wall with Krieg beside him. His mind was racing as the implication began to sink in, but he had little opportunity to process it before another issue hit him.

Jake had one hand on his weapon holster and one hand steering his prisoner down the corridor. She hadn't really resisted once she had seen how many people were there to escort her into the building, but she clearly wasn't happy. Her expression turned to pure fury as she saw a group up ahead of them. Edmonds felt her tense beside him and he secured his grip on her arm as he propelled her forward.

Noyce crossed his arms and watched as the two groups approached from opposite ends of the corridor. Krieg was trying to keep a neutral expression as the two people he held most responsible for Lucas' trauma were almost within arm's reach. He stared straight ahead as he didn't trust himself to behave.

As Tarraci and Dre caught sight of each other it seemed like a lightning bolt had been let loose down the corridor. Noyce calmly stepped into the middle of it as he turned to address Tarraci.

"Thank you for your invaluable assistance, Alfredo. We couldn't have found her without your help. The rest of your traitorous team are not far behind her and she's supplied us with enough to bury you all for the rest of your life."

Tarraci stared at him before looking back towards Dre. "Andrea! It's not true! Don't listen to anything he says! He's a liar!"

"Shut up, you fool!" she hissed back at him.

Reynolds tightened his grip on Tarraci's arm and almost frog-marched him down the corridor and out of sight. His protests soon faded as they moved through another door and it was closed behind him.

Dre stared at Noyce and seemed torn with what to say. Anger flashed in her eyes, but the consummate and well-practiced politician tried to rise over it. "Bill, good to see nothing has changed. And you dared to preach to me about honour and truth."

Edmonds nudged her forwards and she glared at Noyce for as long as she could while being steered away from him. Finally they rounded the corner out of sight and he blew out a deep breath.

"Hard to believe I ever thought I knew that woman. I don't recognise her at all anymore." He turned back to see Ben watching him. "Lieutenant? Are you all right?"

Slowly Krieg nodded back at him. "Fine. What happens now, Sir?"

"Now … we play some mind games of our own! Let's see how they like being played off against each other."

"Permission to return to the _seaQuest,_ Sir?"

Noyce looked across at him and saw a host of emotions playing just below the surface. He knew that Bridger had often been criticised for being too attached to his crew and making emotional decisions. As Noyce reflected on what his crew had been through recently, he couldn't really fault Nathan for his choices.

"_I must be getting soft in my old age." _ The thought brought a faint smile to his lips, but he quickly wiped it away.

"Of course. Tell Nathan I'll keep him posted."

As Ben began to walk away from him, Noyce called out to him. "Lieutenant … job well done."

He nodded and continued his way out to the front door. As he reflected on the events of the day, Ben realised that the one thing he personally had come for had been achieved. Tarraci had inadvertently told him that Lucas had only been programmed for one task. Now he just needed Noyce's interrogation team to determine that since Lucas had resisted the programming, was he now free of it?

Or would he try again?


	20. Chapter 20

**Back again. I had a day off and thought there was no better way to spend it than writing. Thank you for your kind comments and feedback. I hope you enjoy the chapter as I think I am nearly done.**

**Chapter Twenty**

The woman was barely a smidge over five foot, two inches and Noyce looked down at her, while trying not to appear condescending. If he hadn't known her track record he would have rejected her outright. He was a man who knew that looks could be deceiving and Ali Fleming had the goods, despite her diminutive stature. A comment about a terrier came to mind and he smiled as the man who had made it could well be described as a great dane. He glanced away and tried not to laugh. It had been an intense few days and he realised he seriously needed a break.

"Something funny, Sir?"

Noyce looked back at her and shook his head. "No. Just thinking that Henri thinks that you are the best person for this. He said you won't quit 'til you have all we need from them."

Fleming nodded at him, without so much as a hint of a smile. Serious. Focused. And not one to quit. Yes, that described Alison Fleming. Not to mention martial arts training that would put anybody in a coma if they were stupid enough to take her on.

"Sir, we won't let these guys get away with this. I promise!"

"I know you won't, Agent Fleming." Noyce stared through the one-way screen and shivered as Andrea Dre continued her cold-hearted dance with the UEO. So far she had flatly refused to give them anything of use. He had heard it for himself already when she declared her hatred for Bridger. And how very useful Lucas was to use against him. But Noyce knew there was more. There was always more.

Inside the small room he could see Agent Henri Beaumont plying his skills. The great dane, as Noyce had viewed him, was leaning over the bench in a threatening manner. For her part, Dre didn't seem particularly concerned by him. Something about being the secretary general had prepared her to deal with all personalities and agendas as well as being able to bluff extremely well. Except that Noyce knew her better than the two agents did. And her foot tapping was something he knew she did when she was nervous.

"She's not as confident as she would have you believe."

"Sir?" Fleming moved over closer to the glass.

"He's getting to her. Notice her foot tapping? She does that when she's nervous. She hums a tune in her head and taps out the rhythm with her foot. She's done it for as long as I've known her. She prefers rock and roll!"

Fleming simply nodded as she continued to observe the prisoner. Noyce could almost hear her mind ticking over as she planned her part of the interrogation.

* * *

Ben hurried through the docking port and swung himself around the railing. He stumbled slightly as he did so and he swore under his breath. He'd done that move countless times before without thinking. He knew he was tired and sore, but had tried to ignore it. Now his body was reminding him.

It always seemed odd to be entering the docking port when the _seaQuest _was out of the water. Not only was there no smell of salt water, but there was no humidity in the air and no sound of dripping water. It seemed wrong for a submarine to be devoid of any signs of water. It was almost as if the tub reflected the current state of things because everything was all wrong.

Ben knew that the security team on watch would have reported his return through to the bridge already and he pulled out his PAL to check where the captain was.

* * *

The darkness had descended again and he knew that he had welcomed it. The confusion and reminder of pain was enough to make him want to dive back into the inky depths again. And yet something tugged at him. He heard voices from time to time. Soft and low. The conversation made no sense to him, but the voices reminded him of something. They pulled at his mind and softly called him back.

Kristin watched as the monitor registered a rise in the heart rate of her patient. It had happened before with no corresponding increase in consciousness so she didn't want to get her hopes up. Instead she just moved around closer to the bed and stroked his cheek.

"Time to come back to us."

There was no response. Kristin could hear voices in the other room and she smiled as she caught on to the topic of the conversation. Or argument. She smiled at Lucas as she hitched a thumb towards the door.

"Maybe you could take a leaf out of his book … and cause us some problems!"

Finally she decided it was time to rescue Joshua and she walked through into the next room. Jonathan was half way through pulling on a pair of sweat pants when he noticed her. He looked embarrassed by her entry and hastily finished pulling them up over his boxers.

"Nothing I haven't seen before, Commander."

Joshua would have laughed at the look on Ford's face under other circumstances, but his frustration with his patient was still winning.

"I haven't discharged him yet!" Levin waved a hand towards Ford and Kristin tried to contain a smile. The commander was well known as a less-than-model patient and his frustration at being cooped up had been on display for the last couple of days. It was only orders from Bridger that had kept him in bed, but he was dangerously close to going AWOL. Kristin decided to take pity on both of them. On her terms.

"Commander, just where, exactly, do you think you are going?" She placed her hands on her hips and stared at him and Ford at least had the grace to look uncomfortable.

"Doctor … I know you have done your best to get me back up to speed … but this place is doing my head in. I think I will recover better in my own quarters."

"And when, exactly, did you earn your medical degree?"

Levin smirked at him as he watched Kristin in action. Ford simply glared at him and he quickly switched to a neutral expression.

"Doc … I need to get out of here. Get some fresh air." He began to pull off the medbay issue shirt he had been wearing and quickly tried to pull a t-shirt over his head. He managed to conceal the pain the sudden movement caused him, but Kristin knew better. He was going to need some pain meds sooner rather than later, despite his appearance. He held the t-shirt in his hand and tried to summon the energy to try again without letting on how much it hurt.

"Just where did these clothes come from anyway?"

Ford grinned at her. "I still get to give some orders around here."

"Hmmm. Well I'm giving you a few orders, Commander. And in medical issues, mine override yours! You are to go directly to your quarters and rest. Joshua will be down later to bring your meds. And you will do _exactly_ what he tells you or I will have Crocker bring you back here under armed escort. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Ford made a sloppy salute in her direction and he continued to grin at her. "And thanks." Before he could resume dressing, a monitor in the next room began beeping alarmingly.

As Kristin rushed through the door she saw Lucas trying to pull out an IV line. He had already disconnected the heart monitor and it was blaring a warning that the patient had flat-lined.

"No you don't. That needs to stay put." She sat on the bed and tried to calm him down before he could unplug anything else. Levin raced around to the monitor and silenced the alarm.

Lucas looked up to see Ford watching him. The stark, white dressing across his chest hid the damage, but Lucas' mind quickly filled in the blanks. He gasped as he remembered being arm-wrestled and even though he didn't recall the exact moment, he knew he had fired that shot. His face drained of colour as he stared.

Ford reached out a hand to reassure him, but Lucas shrank back. The gesture pulled up more memories and he remembered the smell of fear in the air. His own sour sweat in his nostrils. The sickening commands beating into his brain.

"It's all right, Lucas. Everything's all right." Lucas stared at Ford's chest and the dressing taped across it.

"Get Nathan!" Kristin hissed at Levin while trying to keep Lucas from climbing out of the bed.

Ford slowly moved in closer and eventually made contact with Lucas' arm. He grasped hold of it and felt the muscles quivering under his fingers. "It's all right."

Moments later they heard several people running into the room, but Ford kept his focus on the disoriented kid in front of him. It wasn't until he heard Bridger behind him that he let go and stepped out of the way. He was surprised to see Ben right behind him. The last he had been told, Krieg had been seconded to set up some kind of trap. The details were fuzzy as his head was still not quite coping with the pain meds. He was surprised to see that Ben looked a bit the worse for wear, although it was obviously not the time to ask why.

Bridger leaned in close and tried to get Lucas to focus on his face. Kristin eased herself back off the bed and allowed him to slide into her place. She wished the monitor was still connected so she could read her patient's vitals although she was quite relieved it was no longer warning that he was dead!

She leaned over towards Joshua and whispered to him. "Find his father and let him know that Lucas is awake again."

As Levin nodded at her and walked away she switched her attention back to the bed. Nathan was somehow working his calming magic again and Lucas seemed to be paying attention. The colour was returning to his cheeks and he was no longer staring at Ford with a horrified look on his face.

Kristin looked across at Ben and mentally noted the bruises and cuts on his face. Her trained eye saw the stilted movement as he tried to conceal his own pain. She had no idea what had happened to him and he had made no mention of needing medical attention yet. As soon as they had Lucas settled again she knew she would be finding answers to her questions.

* * *

Dre laughed as the petite woman strolled into the room. The giant man who had been there harassing her for at least the last hour was now nowhere to be seen.

"Is this some kind of comedy act?"

Agent Fleming merely raised an eyebrow as she sized up the woman in handcuffs, sitting in front of her. The fact she had once been the most powerful woman on the planet was not lost on the UEO agent, but it did nothing to intimidate her either.

"How so?"

Dre stared at her and her smile resolved into a smirk. "Where has your pet gorilla gone?"

"Henri? I think he'd describe himself more as a giraffe than a gorilla, but I guess that's beside the point." Fleming crossed her arms and watched her prey. "He went to get a coffee."

Andrea felt her tongue beginning to tingle at the mention of a coffee. The involuntary reaction annoyed her. Something about the woman in front of her also annoyed her. Maybe it was the air of confidence. Whatever it was, she was determined not to give her anything useful.

Agent Fleming sat down across from Dre and laced her fingers together. "I've had an interesting conversation with your doctor."

"My doctor?"

"Oh he's most definitely yours. He already confirmed for us that you were the bankroll behind the project. Well, at least the one who co-ordinated the bankroll. We've got people on the money trail already and they are picking up some very interesting information."

"Really?" Dre smirked at her again and it took all of Fleming's training not to slap her face.

"Well, Lucas Wolenczak is one of the best in the field when it comes to hacking information and he's got a major reason to dig up all he can find on you and your cronies."

"Lucas? … hmm!" Dre snorted and seemed to be weighing up the validity of the statement before going any further. Fleming simply sat and tried to keep a neutral face.

"Yes, Lucas. You see, after you tried to use him to kill Captain Bridger … and failed miserably by the way … he's a little ticked with you."

Fleming tried not to laugh as Dre hastily tried to conceal her surprise.

"Oh, that's right … Doctor Tarraci told you it was foolproof didn't he? And you sent a rather large sum of money into his nominated account for his efforts. Except he isn't as good as he would like you to believe. Captain Bridger is very much alive and well. And frankly … he isn't so happy with you either!"

* * *

Agent Beaumont stared at the pathetic little man in front of him. He had spent the better part of two hours butting heads with Andrea Dre and decided that he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how that woman had become the secretary general of the UEO. Everything about her repulsed him and yet she was obviously a consummate politician to have pulled off what she had done. The slimeball sitting at the table was a whole other story.

From what he had been told, the man was a cruel and twisted mind and yet he currently looked like a shriveled puppy.

"So … Andrea tells me you are the brains of the outfit. The one who managed to destroy a young kid's mind and make him turn on his captain?"

Tarraci felt the cold thrill of success rear up in him, even as he tried to keep his face as straight as possible.

"What a shame she has managed to retract your payment for non-completion of the contract."

"What?" The question came out before he could stop it and Tarraci struggled to clamp his mouth shut.

"Oh … didn't she get to telling you? You failed! Bridger is very much alive."

Tarraci glared at him and realised that anything he said would incriminate him further.

"And since you failed, she's hung you out to dry. Says it was all your plan."

* * *

Noyce stared through the one-way glass and frowned. The more he saw and heard, the more sickened he was. The Andrea Dre he knew was nowhere to be seen. In her place was a woman he didn't recognise. He always knew she could play hardball with the best of them, but he had never figured her for so cold and calculating. As the details had seeped out, bit by bit he could feel his anger rising correspondingly.

It was time to check in with Nathan and fill him in on what they had found so far. Unfortunately it still wasn't enough for his liking.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

The voices faded into the background as Lucas leaned back against the pillow. Kristin had shooed everybody out and insisted he needed to rest. Rest. Yeah, sure! Like that was going to happen when his mind wouldn't stop.

He stuck one hand behind his head and tried to force his body to relax. It wasn't paying attention. It had been two days since he had woken up in medbay and discovered his world would never look the same again. He tensed up again as he recalled that first glimpse of Commander Ford that had triggered an avalanche of memories.

It felt like another lifetime when he had sat in Noyce's office and stressed out because he couldn't remember anything. He wasn't sure what was worse; not having any memories and trying desperately to remember or remembering things that he desperately wanted to forget. Lucas closed his eyes and tried to will his thoughts into submission. The voices moved further away and he knew that Kristin was in full doctor mode. He smiled slightly at the thought. She would have made a good mama bear, he decided.

Finally he felt the tension slipping away and his muscles began to unlock his stiffened joints. He slowly flexed his fingers and tried to loosen the clenched fists he kept involuntarily returning to. He noted that it had been some time since he heard any voices and decided it was time to make his escape. The plan had been formulating all day, but there had been no opportunity to put it into action until he was left alone.

* * *

The moonpool seemed eerily still. Usually the water had some slight movement to it as the s_eaQuest _was in motion. Even when stopped somewhere underwater it was still buffeted by undersea currents. Everything about the vessel felt wrong when it was docked out of the water. It almost felt like the old saying " like a fish out of water" was applicable, as it just felt wrong.

Lucas sat down by the water and trailed a hand in it. It felt good to be in contact with the ocean again, even in such a trivial way. The smell of the salt in the air was relaxing and he drew in a deep breath. It felt so good to be unencumbered by any kind of medical paraphernalia and he savoured the feeling of freedom. Eventually he stretched out on the decking and laid his head on his hand while leaving the other one in the water. As he watched his fingers leaving a trail in the water, something about it was comforting to his inner turmoil.

He had no idea how long he had been laying there. It was possible he had even dozed off as he was startled by a nudging against his hand. He jolted upright onto his elbows and realised that Darwin was eyeing him from the pool. He grinned as he reached out both hands in greeting.

"Hey." It was all he could get out as he felt his throat constrict. He continued to stroke Darwin's melon and he finally felt the choking sensation gradually easing up. As if sensing his need, Darwin stayed motionless against the edge of the pool. Finally Lucas felt his heart rate returning to something close to normal and he eased over to reach out for the vocorder.

As he flicked it on, Darwin eagerly responded.

"Lucas is back!"

It always amazed him how he could so easily assign human emotions to a dolphin, but somehow they just seemed to fit as Darwin seemed genuinely excited to see him.

"Sure am. I've missed you."

"Darwin has missed Lucas too."

Darwin stared back at him and Lucas just grinned. A simple conversation with a dolphin was something he had taken for granted before … before … He felt his chest tense up again and had to force himself to breathe calmly. It wasn't easy since he was lying on his stomach so he pushed himself into an upright position. Darwin stayed close to the edge and watched him.

The memories flooded back in and Lucas squeezed his eyes shut as he slumped back against the wall.

_You are safe._

The words echoed through his head, but he couldn't seem to shake the terror that overcame him. Bridger and Ben and even his own father had repeatedly reassured him that he was safe. So why didn't he believe it?

Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered a voice and realised that Darwin was speaking again. He shook himself out of the daze and was shocked to see that it wasn't Darwin speaking. Bridger was crouched down in front of him.

"Kristin isn't very happy with you," he gently admonished.

When Lucas just stared back at him he slowly manoeuvred himself in against the wall and sat down next to him.

"I figured you'd be here." A smile played at his lips and Lucas began to relax a little.

Bridger pointed a finger towards Darwin and smiled. "He's missed you terribly. Been nagging me to take water to the medbay so he could come and visit. I'm not sure he realises what's involved in installing an aquatube, but then engineering isn't his strong suit."

The captain glanced sideways and was relieved to see Lucas smile at his comment. It at least meant he was listening. Unlike a few minutes earlier when he had seemed completely zoned out. He knew that Tarraci had inadvertently told them that there was no more programming or triggers, but that non-responsive mask had scared him. Lucas had simply stared right through him.

"So ... you do know the warden is looking for you, don't you?"

Lucas just nodded.

"Can I let her know to call off the dogs?"

Again, Lucas just nodded in response.

Bridger pulled out his PAL and called through to medbay. "Bridger here. I've found him. He's fine."

He could visualise Kristin's face as she decided whether or not his idea of fine matched hers.

By the time the captain finished his conversation with Kristin he realised that Lucas seemed to have zoned out again. He nudged at his arm and was concerned when he got no response.

"Lucas? Can you hear me?"

"Hmm? What?"

Bridger moved himself over so he was in front of Lucas and could make eye contact. "Lucas ... what's going on? It's almost as if your antenna keeps dropping out."

The analogy seemed apt as Lucas stared back at him. Behind the blank expression was something that kept coming and going. Bridger had noted it for the last two days, each time Lucas was awake.

Lucas swallowed down a breath and tried to respond. How could he possibly make them understand the sheer terror that kept coming at him with no warning?

"When I woke up in that alley, I ... I had no idea what was going on. I thought that maybe I had gotten drunk and done something stupid. When they said they were calling my dad I thought ... ... I guess I figured I was in trouble. When they told me how long I had been missing I thought it was some kind of sick joke! Like somebody had set me up for a bad prank. I didn't believe them!"

Bridger watched as Lucas became agitated with the memories and wanted to stop the conversation. Unfortunately he knew that he needed to have it more than he needed to be shielded from it. He felt his stomach clench at the recollection that Lucas had been missing for a month and he had almost given up hope. How many times had Lucas given up hope in that month? Did he believe that they would find him? Or did he think that they had given up on him?

Lucas squeezed his eyes shut and tried desperately to hold in the tears that threatened. He felt so very sick of being on the verge of tears so often. It felt so childish and yet he couldn't contain it. The emotions that flooded his mind were overwhelming in their intensity. He felt the captain's calm presence in front of him and latched onto it. The lifeline dangled before him as he pulled himself back from the edge. Finally he opened his eyes and found the captain watching him with concern.

"I couldn't remember anything." He sucked in a sharp breath. "Except the fear!"

_You are safe._

The words flashed through his head like a beacon. He stared at the man in front of him and felt that lifeline within his grasp again.

"What do you remember now?" Bridger was almost afraid to find out as he knew enough about Tarraci's methods to know it wouldn't be pretty.

Lucas slowly responded. "Images mostly. And pain." His voiced dropped away to a whisper. "It hurt so much ... I just wanted to die. To make it stop."

Bridger felt the well of anger rising within him again and barely managed to keep his face calm. The fury in him wanted to be let loose with Tarraci and finish what Ben had started.

"I remember ... oh God!" His breaths were coming in gulping bursts as he struggled to hold onto his thoughts. "I remember seeing you die!" He clamped both hands over his face as he desperately tried to erase the memory. Somewhere between his fingers Lucas muttered the words that Bridger had hoped not to hear. "I killed you."

Bridger had been piecing things together and had figured that this was what Tarraci had used, but up until that moment had hoped he was wrong.

"Lucas!" He reached out and grasped the teen by the shoulders. "Lucas ...look at me." The authority in his voice overrode the fear in Lucas' head and he looked up.

"You didn't do anything! Do you hear me? I'm still right here. Very much alive and kicking."

"But I tried to ..."

"No! You didn't try to do anything. Somebody tried to use you to carry out their plans and they failed! You were stronger than they were! You won! Lucas ... trust me on this ... you beat them!"

Lucas stared into the face of the person he trusted most in the world and tried to take in what he was saying. "But ..."

"No buts! You did nothing wrong."

"I shot Commander Ford."

"Not intentionally. Lucas I don't know how much you remember about the bridge, but you were trying to save me. From everything we've been able to put together, we know that you were trying to override the programming and tried to stop yourself." He sucked in a sharp breath as he recalled exactly how Lucas tried to do that, but he didn't loosen his grip. "I don't know of any other person who has been able to do that."

Lucas stared back at him. "There have been others?"

Bridger barely managed to stop himself from saying anything that Noyce had ordered him to keep quiet about. "Yes, Lucas. There have been others. And you are the only one we know of that managed to beat it." He didn't elaborate by saying that any others who had tried had died of a brain haemorrhage. He was just profoundly grateful for excellent medical skills.

Lucas closed his eyes and seemed to slump back against the wall. Bridger still had a firm grasp of his shoulders and could feel the tremors under his fingers. Just as he was about to shake him, Lucas opened his eyes again.

"If I beat it, why I am still so scared?"

The captain watched as Lucas' face reflected the swirl of fear inside him. "I know it's probably not the answer you want ... but it's going to take some time. You've been through a major trauma and recovery can take a while."

When Lucas didn't respond, Bridger slid himself back down beside him again and placed an arm around his shoulders. "We're all here. This is going to get better. I promise."

Lucas watched Darwin in the moonpool, only a few feet away from them. He had been there the whole time and heard everything. Something about the normality of the sight began to sink in. He felt the warmth of the captain's arm around him and savoured the feeling.

_You're safe._

A tiny part of his mind finally began to believe it.

* * *

Lawrence stared at the screen in frustration. "You can't be serious!"

"I think we have been more than patient." The man who stared back at him was renowned for being all business and it had never bothered Lawrence before.

"Let me get back to you," he snapped.

"I need to know today. Otherwise Henson comes in to take over."

"I'll call you back shortly!" Lawrence slammed a fist on the vidlink to shut it down. He was furious at the audacity of the man. Nobody had ever pulled him off a project in his life.

He looked around the spartan room and realised he would be more than happy to get off the _seaQuest_, but had expected it to be under his own terms.

* * *

Lucas lay on his bunk and tried to concentrate on the file he was reading. Once he had been released from medbay it had taken all his persuasive powers to be allowed to return to his own quarters alone. He didn't need or want a babysitter, but Kristin seemed pretty intent on keeping him monitored closely. It was only after he agreed to a list of non-negotiable rules that she had relented. It seemed that one of those rules included Darwin hanging about in the aquatube whenever he was in his quarters. At least it was better than a human babysitter.

He was startled by a sharp rapping on the hatch and he briefly toyed with the idea of ignoring it. If only it wouldn't have triggered an upgrade to Defcon 1 he might have done it. He smiled at the stupid thought as he called out, "Come in."

Lawrence pushed his way through the door and smiled at his son. Things seemed to be returning to some sense of normality as he noted clothes strewn on the floor.

Lucas pushed himself up on the bed and leaned back against the wall. The last few days had been extremely strange with his father. After all the years he had craved attention, it was a little unsettling to be receiving so much of it at once.

Lawrence watched as Darwin silently slipped away down the aquatube and he marvelled again at how the animal seemed to be so intuitive. He needed to speak to his son alone and didn't really fancy an audience, even if it was just a dolphin.

He dropped down onto the bunk beside Lucas and glanced at the datapad in his hand. "What are you doing?"

"I've got a major backlog of emails and stuff. Just trying to catch up on some of it."

Lawrence smiled in agreement. "Join the club! That's actually what I came to talk to you about." He cleared his throat as he tried to think how to word what he wanted to say. After all that had happened, he had no wish to mess it all up again.

"Lucas, I just got off the vidlink with the president of World Power. He's demanding I return to the project immediately or else they will replace me with someone else."

Lucas stared at his father as he knew how devastating that would be to him.

"I don't want to go. I don't want to leave you after ... after all that's happened. But I have to." He rubbed a hand through his hair as he struggled for words. "Lucas, when I came here I told the captain I was taking you with me. That you didn't belong here."

Lucas felt his chest constrict as the words sunk in. _"Don't make me leave!"_

"Except that your friend Ben made me see things a little differently. This place is your home. I'm so sorry. I haven't always gotten it right, but I do know that taking you away from here would be wrong. I'm just very aware that I haven't always given you the priority focus and that's why I don't want to leave. Maybe when you are feeling up to it you can come out to visit the project?"

It was an olive branch that Lucas was reluctant to take hold of.

"When are you going?"

Lawrence had hoped for more of a conversation, but couldn't really say he was surprised, given their history.

"Tomorrow. I thought we could have dinner together tonight."

Lucas just nodded at him. He wasn't really surprised his father was going. It had been the familiar routine of his life. Except that this time his father had come looking for him. And had stuck around. He smiled a little as he realised that maybe it wasn't as familiar as he had come to expect. Maybe some things could change.

* * *

Ben wandered into the mess and was surprised to see most of the group was already there. Given that the _seaQuest _was still stuck in dock the crew was on an unusual rotation. Under other circumstances he might have enjoyed the unscheduled downtime and shore leave, but nothing about the last few weeks had been enjoyable.

Lucas sat next to his father and beside him was an empty chair. A half-eaten meal showed that somebody had been there and it was obvious by his absence that it was Bridger's chair. Ben went and helped himself to a tray of food before pulling out a chair further down the table. He nodded at Ford who was sitting across from him. It always felt strange seeing the most hardcore military man he knew wearing civvies, but Kristin still hadn't signed him off for duty.

Up the other end of the table Katie smiled at him. There had been a time where he hadn't seen that smile for weeks and he realised how much he had missed it. His ex-wife lit up the room when she smiled. And something about it always had a strange effect on him. He smiled back at her and was grateful that she had moved past the time where he thought she would never smile at him again.

Kristin was seated across from Lucas and Ben noted how often she surreptitiously watched him for signs of fatigue or anything else she needed to be concerned about. He smiled to himself as he wondered if she ever switched off her radar.

Tim and Miguel were deep in a conversation when he sat down next to them. Neither of them seemed to notice him until he reached across for the salt shaker. He needed something to flavour the meat thing he had piled onto his plate.

The murmur of conversation gave an air of calm and Ben shoved his first forkfull into his mouth. He almost spat it out as he saw the captain enter the mess again. Something was clearly wrong.

Bridger walked over to stand behind Lucas and every head seemed to swivel towards him before he even opened his mouth. His crew were well attuned to their captain and every one of them knew something was very wrong.

Lucas stared at him and felt his heart beginning to pound in his chest. Bridger laid a calming hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Take it easy, Kiddo."

"I have just gotten off the vidlink with Secretary General Noyce. He wanted you to hear this from him before it hits the newslinks." Bridger paused as he struggled with the emotions fighting for attention within him.

"This afternoon the UEO prison transport taking Andrea Dre to another facility was attacked. There was an explosion and all on board were so badly burnt there was nothing much to recover. It's believed that the group she was working with wanted her silenced before she could identify them. At the same time, somebody managed to get to Tarraci and poison him. He died about an hour ago."

Bridger chose not to mention Noyce's description of his death. That could wait for another time as it just seemed wrong to gloat that the man had died in agony.

As various people round the table began to ask questions the captain put up a hand to silence them. He sat down next to Lucas. "There are still four other people in lockup who have been moved into protective custody so the UEO hasn't given up hope of getting to the bottom of it all. I promise you Lucas, there will be justice here."

Lucas just stared at him. The two people who had engineered his nightmare were dead. He was surprised at the numbness. What really counted as justice anyway?

* * *

The sensation of being disconnected was terrifying. Nothing about her body would respond to her thoughts. Of course she knew exactly where she was. Well, not exactly, because the equipment had been stripped out of the GELF labs. But the voice in the darkness had told her what was wrapped around her, even if she couldn't feel it.

"You promised a lot and did not deliver. Our supporters don't take kindly to their money being squandered. So waste not, want not!" The cold laugh echoed around the chamber.

Andrea Dre tried to scream as the fire began, but her mouth would not respond.

* * *

**So there you have it, folks. Before you ask, no, I don't have a sequel in mind, but who knows? I just couldn't think of a more fitting way to punish Dre. I hope you enjoyed the ride because, as always, I have enjoyed writing it. Thank you to everybody for your encouragement and comments. Feedback is always appreciated. See you in the next adventures of **_**seaQuest.**_

**PS If you are game, there is another ... umm ... "chapter" ... for want of a better description :-)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Bonus Material and Out Takes from the DVD**

**I had some comments about the lack of Darwin earlier in the story and a review from Criminally Charmed that suggested Lawrence should go swimming without an air tank. I do like to accommodate good ideas and that one made me giggle. I couldn't quite work it into the story unfortunately. So this little side-track was dedicated to her because she made me laugh (and because she does scary things to her characters and I'm a tad intimidated by her). Please excuse my stupid sense of humour and the quality of writing. **

Darwin watched as Lucas sat by the edge of the moonpool. He trailed a finger in the water and Darwin thought it was a good idea that he had already had his lunch as that finger looked extremely tasty.  
_  
"What is wrong with you?"_ he admonished himself. These strange thoughts were getting more and more frequent.

"Lucas play?" It was a phrase that he used far too often and that fanfic writers had done to death. _"I am so tired of sounding like a moron!"_ he thought to himself.

"Nah, sorry Darwin. I'm too busy having a sulk."

"Well fine then. See if I care. But just one thing before I go and find somebody better to play with. What's the deal with your old man? I mean … where'd you find him?"

Lucas glared at him. "Stupid scriptwriters decided I should have a jerk for a dad. Why couldn't they have just made me a Bridger?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

Lucas glared at Darwin before getting up and walking out. "Stupid dolphin!" he muttered to himself.

Darwin sat in the little moonpool and slowly swam around in circles. "Call me stupid! You'll see stupid. And you think just because you're a Wolenczak that makes you smart."

Moments later Lawrence wandered into the room.

"Lawrence play?"

"What?"

_"It's not a difficult question!"_

"Lawrence play?"

He leaned over the tank and noted the dolphin there. "You must be Darwin."  
_  
"Genius!"_

"Yes. Lawrence play?"

"_How many times do I have to ask you the same question?"_

"Sure. What are we gonna play?"

"Let's play 'Find Lucas'. He's in here somewhere."

"Great idea. He was having a sulk at me, but I'm not as bad as those script writers made me out to be."

"OK then. Jump in here and we'll start the game."

Lawrence obediently climbed into the pool and Darwin nudged him into the aquatube.

"Hey, this is getting a bit dark in here don't you think?"

Darwin smirked to himself with a very un-dolphinlike grin.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet. Wait until you see where we are going …"

Lawrence was slightly surprised that the inside of the aquatubes had signposts as he assumed dolphins couldn't read. Maybe it was just a mistake that Darwin was towing him towards a tube marked "exit".

(Allow your imagination to take flight ...)


End file.
